PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL DURING SLEEP ONSET PERIOD IN PRIMARY INSOMNIA AS MEASURED BY EEG POWER SPECTRUM ANALYSIS

Abstract

Introduction: Insomnia is a common healthy complain. The neurocognitive perspective of hyperarousal model of insomnia hypothesized that the sleep difficulties in insomniacs may result from enhanced information processing around sleep onset and during sleep. Supporting evidences were primarily from the findings that insomnia patients have increased high frequency EEG activity and decreased low frequency EEG activity during sleep, indicating insomniacs in general have higher physical arousal and lower sleep homeostasis. This study further aims to explore arousal level and sleep homeostasis during the period of sleep onset by comparing the level and change of EEG spectrum in primary insomnia patients and normal control subjects during the process of sleep onset.