title: Nocturnal Awakening & Sleep Duration in Veterans with PTSD: An Actigraphic Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether awakenings from sleep and sleep duration in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were related to demography, posttraumatic or depressive symptoms, subjective sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sample consisted of 23 veterans with lifetime PTSD and current sleep disturbance not due to apnea or other diagnosable conditions. Data collection included demography, two weeks of actigraphy, Beck Depression Inventory, Posttraumatic Checklist, Clinical Assessment of Posttraumatic Symptoms, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study revealed that awakenings increased with younger age. Variability in awakenings also increased with younger age (p = 0.002). More awakenings were associated with shorter sleep duration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These paradoxical observations regarding younger age and more awakening may be related to increased sleep symptoms early in the course and then gradual waning of posttraumatic symptoms over time, since awakenings tend to increase with age in normals (rather than decrease, as we observed).
authors.affiliation: Imran S. Khawaja, MD.
authors.forename: Imran S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Khawaja
authors.affiliation: Minneapolis VA Medical Center, University of Minnesota, State of Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: M Hashmi
authors.affiliation: Ali M. Hashmi, MD, Foreign Professor III (HEC), Psychiatry, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westermeyer
authors.affiliation: Joseph Westermeyer, MD, PhD, Paul Thuras, PhD, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, University of Minnesota, State of Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thuras
authors.affiliation: Thomas Hurwitz, MD, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, University of Minnesota, State of Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
keywords: Actigraphy; Insomnia; PTSD; Veteran