Psychological factors of insomnia perpetuation: approach of the body functions regulation model

Contemporary cognitive approach considers both dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, pre-sleep thoughts and behavior as key factors in the insomnia prepetuation, along with emotional factors such as anxiety and depression. The question remains whether the contribution of each of these factors is independent or whether any of these factors dominate or complement each other. The aim of the study was to compare the contribution of cognitive and behavioral factors to the subjective and objective quality of sleep in patients with chronic insomnia. 37 patients with primary chronic insomnia participated in 1-night polysomnographic recording of sleep and psychological observation. According to the results of hierarchical regression analysis and moderation analysis, the negative effects of dysfunctional beliefs, disturbances in sleep hygiene and pre-sleep thoughts are irreducible to each other, and only the effect of thoughts can be explained by the emotional state of patients. Self-restrictive behavior is associated with difficulties in transition to deep sleep and longer wakefulness at night. The results of moderation analysis suggest that the disturbance of sleep hygiene is so important that it is prominent, the effect of dysfunctional beliefs is not so obvious. Self-restrictive behavior can amplify the negative effect of pre-sleep cognitions on subjective sleep.