Preview

An Examination of Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3501 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
An Examination of Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia
An Examination of Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia
Natalia Salzano
Hunter College, CUNY

Abstract Anxiety is commonly associated with insomnia. Many research have been done in this area. The results of the previous research studies often revealed strong relationships between anxiety and insomnia. Often, anxiety and insomnia can be frequently associated with depression. This research study was conducted among Hunter College students in order to investigate a relationship between anxiety and insomnia. There were 22 students participating in the research, between ages 18 and 34. Twelve of them were males and ten were females. There was a multiple-choice questionnaire, adapted from other research studies, with four possible answers from 0 – not at all bothered to 3 – severely bothered. The obtained results fully supported the hypothesis that there is a significant positive correlation between anxiety and insomnia. The higher is anxiety level, the higher is insomnia level. Nevertheless, the research had its own limitations, and further modifications of a research design could be done in this area of study.

An Examination of a Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia Anxiety is commonly associated with insomnia. A number of research studies in this area support the idea that insomnia and anxiety have common mechanisms that underlie or maintain these difficulties (Fairholme, 2012). Some studies investigate the association between anxiety, depression and insomnia, which often co-occur at the same time (Jansson-Frojmark, 2008). However, the question about cause-effect in this relationship between anxiety and insomnia still remains. In his article, Pacana (2010) stated that the anxiety disorders became the most common mental disorders in the United States. Nineteen percent of the population suffers from these afflictions every year. There are six major types of anxiety - Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Obsessive



References: Beck AT, Epstein N, Brown G, Steer RA (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 56: 893–897. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.56.6.893 Bogan, R Buckner, J. D., Bernert, R. A., Cromer, K. R., Joiner, T. E., & Schmidt, N. B. (2008). Social anxiety and insomnia: the mediating role of depressive symptoms. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 25(2), 124-130. doi:10.1002/da.20282 Fairholme, C

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many people that have difficulties with sleep and many studies that psychologists have researched to help explain this human behavior. In this assignment you will have the opportunity to do a study of your own on yourself!…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When a person is faced with a stressful situation, the body’s reaction is to become anxious. In some cases, that reaction is severe, causing individuals to become unable to move beyond the fear and anxiety they feel for long periods of time. Often, this is indicative of an anxiety disorder. There are a number of different types of anxiety disorders. The most common of these disorders includes general anxiety disorder, clinical anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, individual phobias, and agoraphobia.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    (2013). Generalized anxiety disorder: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, course, assessment, and diagnosis. UpToDate, 1-9. Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com…

    • 1683 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Insomnia is a state where an individual experiences difficulties with their sleep. There are 5 types of insomnia; long term, short term, trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep and waking up too early. Short term insomnia usually lasts a few days or weeks, it tends to be caused by immediate worries such as exams, deaths, noise, jet lag or temporary medical conditions such as colds. Long term (chronic) insomnia is experiencing sleep difficulties which last for more than 4 weeks. There is primary and secondary chronic insomnia. Primary chronic insomnia refers to problems with sleeping which do not have a direct cause – such as health or physical. It can be simply be due…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    depending on the onset. If GAD occurs early in life without any other diagnoses, then it is…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Psychology 101: Anxiety

    • 2524 Words
    • 8 Pages

    This paper goes through the different types of anxiety disorders. This paper will include the causes, symptoms, and treatment of the disorders. The disorders are: (1.) Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia; (2.) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; (3.) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; (4.) Social Phobia; and (5.) Panic Attacks.…

    • 2524 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anxiety disorders are the condition in which intense feelings of fear and dreads are long-standing or disruptive. The latest technologies are facilitating examiners and scientists to understand more about the biological, psychological, and social aspects that effect the growth of an anxiety disorder. In addition to an enhanced understanding of essential reasons, better remedy and even avoidance measures will be possible. The following are believed to play a role in the episode of anxiety disorders:…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This disease impacts people throughout the nation and affects their daily lives. PhD physiologist, Dr. Michael Breus explicates that, “there are broader, collective consequences to society that come from insomnia” and goes onto explain that “one study attempted to quantify the economic costs of the sleep disorder, and found that insomnia is associated with an estimated $31 billion in workplace costs resulting from accidents and errors that happen on the job”. (Breus) Scientists evaluated participants for insomnia, a condition affecting workplaces. People in workplaces suffering from insomnia failed to perform their jobs to the best of their capabilities in comparison to people without insomnia—because of this, workers perpetuated to make more errors in their labor. The theme of Science and Its Role in Society is optically discerned through this study. Evidently, individuals suffering from insomnia elicited their workplace and the environment around them (this shows that insomnia effects society and corresponds to this biological theme). The theme of Science and Its Role in Society apprises individuals that ethical concerns limit the application of scientific understanding. This theme is viewed through insomnia. A common remedy for insomnia are Benzodiazepines since they prompt a sedative effect. (“Benzodiazepines and Insomnia”) This drug tampers with brain chemicals. Benzodiazepines amalgamate with the GABA receptor, a neurotransmitter, to increment a chemical instigating somnolence and sedation. (“Benzodiazepines and Insomnia”) However, these drugs raise ethical questions which obviate assimilating cognizance about the authentic disease itself. In order to maximize benefits and minimize harm, medicos and verbalize laws recommend and require these drugs for short term utilization (“Benzodiazepines and Insomnia”). This ceases scientists from completely understanding the…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Sleep Aide

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages

    There are “roughly 64 million insomniacs in the United States” (Chamberlin, 2008). People who suffer with insomnia often have a hard time “falling asleep, staying asleep, and/or waking up too early” (Dowdell & Huffman, 2014, p. 162). There are, however, ways to treat this disorder so the people who suffer with it can rest a little bit better at night. Jack Edinger, psychologist at Duke University, uses cognitive behavioral therapy as his main way to help treat his patients and get them back to sleeping normally. Through this therapy, he helps patients understand how much sleep they need and how they can become calm before going to sleep.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most common anxiety disorders are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Anxiety Disorder, and specific phobias. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a basic form of anxiety that affects women more than it affects men. The symptoms of this disorder are; persistent worry and feeling of dread for at least 6 months. This disorder often comes as a package deal including depression, social anxiety, panic disorder, and commonly substance abuse. Generalized Anxiety Disorder mainly affects people who are at least thirty years old. While this disorder is a very general, common disorder, there are many disorders that are more…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I. “Insomnia is defined by having difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or by short sleep duration, despite adequate opportunity for a full night’s sleep”.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    People of all ages, occupations, and races have experienced times where they are at a loss of sleep. Sometimes, those people are able to recover lost sleep by sleeping more on other days, typically weekends or days without work. However, there are others who have a chronic problem with sleeping which leads to problems with their health, work, and mental abilities. The first visually noticeable things about a sleep-deprived people is their mental performance and ability to stay alert. Lowered performance in this area is a cause for alarm in certain occupations that involves the safety, health, and even the very lives of other people. Long-term sleep problems eventually affects the physical health of a person. Sleep deprivation has been associated with high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, heart disease, and diabetes.…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anxiety Disorders Paper

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Anxiety disorders are disruptive feelings of fear, apprehension, or anxiety, or they can also be explained as distortions in behavior that are anxiety related (Coon, Mitterer, 2013, p.480). Some anxiety disorders involve feelings of panic while others show as phobias or overwhelming…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Psychologists and psychiatrists have been studying the mind for centuries to understand its complexities and how it functions. In the pursuit for answers, these experts of the mind have uncovered many different oddities and malfunctions that are commonly referred to today as psychological disorders. Within this classification of psychological disorders, researchers have developed a subsection of afflictions that have come to be known as the major anxiety disorders. There are five types of anxiety disorders and these include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. As common as most of these disorders are, one has become increasingly…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Depression and Anxiety

    • 1646 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Depression and anxiety are two common disorders that many Americans deal with day in and day out. So, individual Americans may ask, are we anxious, or are we depressed? Anxiety and depression are thought of as two distinct disorders. However, in this world, many people suffer from both conditions. Knowing the similarities, differences, treatments, and prevention/reduction of depression and anxiety is important because one is a mood disorder, and the other is a psychiatric disorder. [Good use of third person and plan of development thesis!]…

    • 1646 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays