Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Genetics of Insomnia: Stress & Intrusive Thoughts

A study (# 0781) being presented this afternoon as an oral presentation examines the underlying genetics of insomnia. Results of the twin study show that sleep reactivity to stress may mediate the genetic relation between insomnia and intrusive thinking/ruminative thoughts. The study also found an environmental variance in intrusive thinking that predicts insomnia; this suggests that behavioral treatments could be designed to target specific environmental triggers that promote rumination.

A clinical workshop relevant to this study will take place today from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time. “Arousal-reducing and Cognitive Techniques in the Treatment of Insomnia” will include discussions on progressive relaxation techniques for insomnia and constructive worry treatment strategies for intrusive thinking.

You can
download the SLEEP 2009 abstract supplement as an 11 MB file in PDF format.

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