Self-reported hyperarousal traits among insomnia patients

Hyperarousal Scale scores for certain self-reported behaviors reportedly co rrelate with EEG arousal measures. We tested whether an insomnia subject gr oup had different Hyperarousal Scale scores compared with hypersomnia, dela yed sleep phase syndrome, procrastinator or normal subject groups. Compared with 139 normal subjects, mean scores for a group of 256 insomnia subjects was significantly 1.2 S.D. higher on Hyperarousal total scale score, 0.82 S.D. higher on React subscale score and 0.85 S.D. higher on Introspectivene ss subscale score. The insomnia group median Extreme score was 2.25 times t hat of the normal group. These self-report findings suggest that insomnia s ubjects may be more responsive generally. All sleep disorder groups had inc reased total Hyperarousal scores, although these increases were accounted f or by different scale items. The procrastinator group had Hyperarousal scor e patterns that generally differed from those of the other groups. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.