Exhausted all options for better sleep? You’re not alone.
About 12% of Americans experience chronic insomnia, defined as trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or returning to sleep after waking up in the night. Another 30% report occasionally struggling with insomnia.
Researchers have identified the “3 Ps” of insomnia — factors believed to trigger and prolong habitual sleeplessness.
These include predisposing factors like medical conditions, age and family history, precipitating factors like stressful events and mental health challenges and perpetuating factors like poor sleep habits, which feed the cycle of insomnia.
A new study from the University of São Paulo in Brazil explored how personality traits influence insomnia, tying one trait in particular to 61.7% of cases.
“We decided to study the influence of personality traits on insomnia because it’s an extremely common disorder that has negative health consequences, such as an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, anxiety and depression,” said sleep psychologist Bárbara Araújo Conway.
“These different physical and mental health conditions lead to a poorer quality of life in general.”
Conway’s team utilized the Big Five theory, which describes personality as consisting of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
Researchers divided 595 participants, 18 to 59 years old, into two groups — insomniacs and a control group of people who didn’t have trouble sleeping.
Each participant filled out a 60-question survey to determine their personality type.
The analysis found that:
- 61.7% of insomniacs had high levels of neuroticism versus 32% of the control group.
- 40.7% of insomniacs had low levels of openness versus 23% of the control group.
- 37.7% of insomniacs had low levels of conscientiousness versus 24.1% of the control group.
- 31.5% of insomniacs had low levels of agreeableness versus 23.2% of the control group.
- Extroversion didn’t show a significant difference.
“Neuroticism was the trait that stood out the most, with insomniacs having a much higher rate,” Conway said. “But we can’t say that insomniacs are more introverted.”
The link between neuroticism and insomnia seems to be anxiety.
Neurotics are more likely to experience anxiety, worry, fear and irritability. Anxiety can trigger racing thoughts, an elevated heart rate and muscle tension, making it hard to fall asleep.
Depression did not seem to fit into this relationship, Conway said.
The findings, recently published in the Journal of Sleep Research, suggest the need for treating anxiety along with insomnia.
“We know that most insomniacs are highly neurotic,” Conway said.
“These patients deserve to have their anxiety assessed and treated so that their insomnia also improves,” she continued. “Sometimes this involves different therapies and medications, so it’s important to take a broader look at each individual’s history and specifics.”
Insomnia treatment can include prescription sleep meds and non-drug options such as relaxation techniques and better sleep routines.
One popular route is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which involves identifying and modifying negative patterns that interfere with sleep.
“We already have a non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia, but just as we don’t have a drug that will be effective for all patients, a single therapy approach may not work for everyone,” Conway said.
“These results contribute to the development of new, more personalized psychological and behavioral protocols for the treatment of insomnia.”
