A study published in Communications Medicine reported that 6.9% of Icelandic women aged 18–69 have trauma-associated sleep disturbances (TASD), defined by trauma-related nightmares and disruptive nocturnal behaviors.
Key Details
- The study included 27,938 women from the Stress and Gene Analysis cohort.
- TASD prevalence was highest in the 18–29 age group.
- Factors associated with higher TASD prevalence included lower education, smoking, unemployment, binge drinking, and being single or widowed.
- Repeated exposure to the worst life stressor increased TASD prevalence by 48%.
- Recent trauma (within the past year) was linked to the highest TASD prevalence.
- Strong associations were found with physical/sexual violence, captivity, sudden violent death, sudden accidental death, life-threatening illness/injury, and stillbirth.
- 74% of women with TASD also had probable PTSD; a small subset had TASD without PTSD.
Study Limitations
- Cross-sectional design, self-reported data, and lack of polysomnography confirmation limit causal conclusions.
Implications
The authors suggest early detection of TASD and targeted sleep-focused interventions may be beneficial.