Insomnia Among Returning War Vets Is As Severe As Patients With Chronic Insomnia

The study, authored by Colleen Walsh, of the University of Pittsburgh, focused on a sample of 14 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) with post-deployment adjustment disorders, whose data were compared to that of 14 insomnia patients and 14 good sleepers, both groups of which were free of medical and psychiatric disorders.

According to the results, returning OIF veterans endorsed significantly more severe disruptive nocturnal behaviors, such as nightmares and body movements, than both patients with insomnia and good sleepers. Insomnia complaints in returning veterans were as severe as complaints endorsed by insomnia patients. Sleep quality was significantly worse in veterans than in good sleepers.

"These findings highlight the urgent need for sleep-focused assessments and treatments in this new group of combat-exposed military veterans," said Anne Germain, Ph.D., the principal investigator of the study.

Insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early. It is the most commonly reported sleep disorder. About 30 percent of adults have symptoms of insomnia.

It is recommended that adults get between seven and eight hours of nightly sleep.