TY - JOUR
T1 - Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability
Modification in Chronic Insomnia Patients
AU - Farina, Benedetto
AU - Dittoni, Serena
AU - Colicchio, Salvatore
AU - Testani, Elisa
AU - Losurdo, Anna
AU - Gnoni, Valentina
AU - Di Blasi, Chiara
AU - Brunetti, Riccardo
AU - Contardi, Anna
AU - Mazza, Salvatore
AU - Della Marca, Giacomo
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Chronic insomnia is highly prevalent in the general population, provoking personal distress and
increased risk for psychiatric and medical disorders. Autonomic hyper-arousal could be a pathogenic
mechanismof chronic primary insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate autonomic activity
in patients with chronic primary insomnia by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.
Eighty-five consecutive patients affected by chronic primary insomnia were enrolled (38 men and
47 women; mean age: 53.2 ˙ 13.6). Patients were compared with a control group composed of 55
healthy participants matched for age and gender (23 men and 32 women; mean age: 54.2 ˙ 13.9).
Patients underwent an insomnia study protocol that included subjective sleep evaluation, psychometric
measures, and home-based polysomnography with evaluation of HRV in wake before sleep,
in all sleep stages, and in wake after final awakening. Patients showed modifications of heart rate and HRV parameters, consistent with increased sympathetic activity, while awake before sleep and
during Stage-2 non-REM sleep. No significant differences between insomniacs and controls could
be detected during slow-wave sleep, REM sleep, and post-sleep wake. These results are consistent
with the hypothesis that autonomic hyper-arousal is a major pathogenic mechanism in primary
insomnia, and confirm that this condition is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.
AB - Chronic insomnia is highly prevalent in the general population, provoking personal distress and
increased risk for psychiatric and medical disorders. Autonomic hyper-arousal could be a pathogenic
mechanismof chronic primary insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate autonomic activity
in patients with chronic primary insomnia by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.
Eighty-five consecutive patients affected by chronic primary insomnia were enrolled (38 men and
47 women; mean age: 53.2 ˙ 13.6). Patients were compared with a control group composed of 55
healthy participants matched for age and gender (23 men and 32 women; mean age: 54.2 ˙ 13.9).
Patients underwent an insomnia study protocol that included subjective sleep evaluation, psychometric
measures, and home-based polysomnography with evaluation of HRV in wake before sleep,
in all sleep stages, and in wake after final awakening. Patients showed modifications of heart rate and HRV parameters, consistent with increased sympathetic activity, while awake before sleep and
during Stage-2 non-REM sleep. No significant differences between insomniacs and controls could
be detected during slow-wave sleep, REM sleep, and post-sleep wake. These results are consistent
with the hypothesis that autonomic hyper-arousal is a major pathogenic mechanism in primary
insomnia, and confirm that this condition is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.
KW - Chronic Insomnia
KW - Heart Rate
KW - Heart Rate Variability
KW - Chronic Insomnia
KW - Heart Rate
KW - Heart Rate Variability
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/47798
U2 - 10.1080/15402002.2013.801346
DO - 10.1080/15402002.2013.801346
M3 - Article
SN - 1540-2002
VL - 12
SP - 290
EP - 306
JO - Behavioral Sleep Medicine
JF - Behavioral Sleep Medicine
ER -