Impaired sleep during the post-alcohol withdrawal period in alcoholic patients

Twenty-seven patients who suffered from alcohol dependence syndrome and who were admitted to the Department of Psychiatry at NCNP were investigated fo r impaired sleep. The incidence of "insomnia night", when a patient has tro uble getting sufficient sleep even after taking additional drugs for insomn ia, was used as the index for impaired sleep "Insomnia night" was observed among 51.9% (14 of 27) of the patients during administration; 18.5% (nine o f 27) experienced "insomnia night" only during the withdrawal period. The m ean incidence was 3.5 nights of 10 nights for 0-9th day after abstinence an d 2.0 nights of la nights for 10-19th day after abstinence; 33.3% (nine of 27) claimed "insomnia night" even after the withdrawal period and the highe st incidence was the 160-169th day after abstinence, average frequency bein g 4.4 nights of 10 nights. Impaired sleep emerging after the withdrawal per iod neared the clinical course of Komiyama's protracted withdrawal symptoms , thus suggesting that it might be one of the protracted withdrawal symptom s.