A retrospective study on improvements in nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder following treatment for co-morbid sleep-disordered breathing.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of treatment for co-morbid sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) on patients with nightmares and post-traumatic stress.


METHODS
Twenty-three chronic nightmare sufferers (15 with post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) who also suffered co-morbid SDB (obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, n=16; upper airway resistance syndrome, UARS, n=7) completed a telephone interview, on average, 21 months after having been offered treatment for SDB at a university sleep disorders clinic.


RESULTS
At follow-up, 14 reported maintaining treatment (Treatment Group) and 9 reported discontinuing treatment (No-Treatment Group). More patients in the Treatment Group reported improvement in sleep (93% vs. 33%) and in daytime well being (93% vs. 33%) compared with those in the No-Treatment group. The Treatment Group reported a median improvement in nightmares of 85% compared with a median 10% worsening in the No-Treatment Group. In the PTSD subset (n=15), nine in the Treatment Group reported a median 75% improvement in PTSD symptoms whereas six in the No-Treatment Group reported a median 43% worsening.


CONCLUSIONS
In this small sample of patients, treatment of SDB was associated with improvements in nightmares and PTSD. Relationships between nightmares, PTSD and SDB are discussed.
Krakow
B
B
UNM Sleep Research, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, 4775 Indian School Road NE, Suite 305, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA. bkrakow@salud.unm.edu
Lowry
C
C
Germain
A
A
Gaddy
L
L
Hollifield
M
M
Koss
M
M
Tandberg
D
D
Johnston
L
L
Melendrez
D
D
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D004325:Dreams / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D017286:Polysomnography; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000379:methods*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires