Tag: hyperarousal

Poor sleep conditions compound the problem of sleep onset insomnia

Six Tips for Overcoming Sleep Onset Insomnia

Poor sleeping conditions such as those found on planes can interfere with anyone’s sleep. But sleep onset insomniacs may find them particularly challenging, accustomed as we are to not falling asleep very quickly and being bothered by things that other sleepers readily tune out.


Insomnia may respond to acupuncture treatments

Acupuncture for Insomnia: An Update

This summer I saw a cousin of mine who lives in San Francisco. He was using acupuncture for insomnia and happy with the results.

I’ve always wondered about acupuncture as a potential treatment for insomnia, so now and then I check the literature. Here’s a summary of recent thinking about it.

hyperarousal is a common daytime symptom of insomnia

Why Are Insomniacs Prone to Hyperarousal?

My insomniac nights are rare these days—but I had one last week. Nearing bedtime, it felt like a train was running through my body with the horn at full blast.

The mechanisms underlying hyperarousal are still unknown. But according to a study recently published in the journal PNAS, it may be linked to fragmented REM sleep and unresolved emotional distress. Here’s more:

Insomnia sufferers are hyperaroused around the clock

Insomnia: Is Hyperarousal a Problem 24/7?

Hyperarousal is a term I mention when people want a quick explanation for what’s behind insomnia. The word seems to resonate. Think of hyper- as in “excessive” or “extreme”; arousal, meaning “activation” or “animation.” Or plain old hyper, meaning “very excited, nervous, or active.”

“Hyperarousal” is a pretty good way to describe the feeling of insomnia at night. But is there a test for it? Does it happen only at night, or do insomniacs experience hyperarousal 24/7?

insomnia, characterized by fragmented REM sleep, leads to slow emotional processing

Restless REM Sleep May Lead to Hyperarousal

Do you tend to dwell on upsetting thoughts? Does your arousal thermostat feel like it’s set too high, making it hard for your body to relax and fall or stay asleep? Insomnia is often described as a disorder of hyperarousal, yet how and why the hyperarousal develops is unclear.

Now a team of 13 sleep scientists from three countries have taken findings from different lines of research, conducted a study of their own, and come up with a plausible explanation for why our minds and bodies feel like they’re stuck in overdrive and just can’t stop. Here’s what may lie behind our trouble falling and staying asleep.

Insomnia may occur in patterns which can be figured out

Insomnia: Finding Method in the Madness

It used to be that the only predictable thing about my insomnia was that it occurred at times of high drama. Anticipation of a trip to the Canary Islands? Nothing like a little excitement to keep me awake at night. Difficulties with a colleague at work? Stress, too, was a set-up for trouble sleeping. Whenever my life got the least bit interesting or challenging, sleep went south.

But sleep is easier to manage now that I’m able to see more patterns in my insomnia and the insomnia of others.

Insomnia That Feels "Almost Physical"

“I feel very anxious at night,” a reader recently wrote. “I tell myself that there is no reason to be anxious, but it feels almost physical. And it doesn’t matter what I do (meditation, relaxation), I still can’t sleep.”

Insomnia, many of us are told, is mainly a psychological problem. So the physical sensations that accompany it can be unnerving: the fluttering heartbeat, the muscle tension, the racing feeling radiating from torso to extremities, the overheating, the sweaty skin. Yet these sensations should tip us off that insomnia is not just in the head.

Insomniacs may experience hyperarousal night and day

Insomnia and Hyperarousal

Lots of factors can push you in the direction of persistent insomnia: chronic stress, rumination and worry, and too much time in bed, to name a few.

Another factor that increases your susceptibility to insomnia is physiologic “hyperarousal,” sleep experts say.