Psychological and physiological differences between good and poor sleepers.

PHYSIOLOGICAL, PERSONALITY, AND EEG SLEEP PATTERNS OF 16 POOR-SLEEP GROUP (PSG) SS WERE COMPARED WITH 16 GOOD-SLEEP GROUP (GSG) SS. COMPARED WITH GOOD SLEEPERS, POOR SLEEPERS HAD LESS SLEEP TIME, A HIGHER PROPORTION OF STAGE 2 SLEEP, MARKEDLY LESS REM SLEEP DESPITE A SIMILAR NUMBER OF REM PERIODS, MORE AWAKENINGS, AND REQUIRED MORE TIME TO FALL ASLEEP. SIGNIFICANT PHYSIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS WERE OBSERVED DURING ALL STAGES OF SLEEP AND DURING A PRESLEEP PERIOD. PERSONALITY TEST RESULTS CLEARLY INDICATED A MUCH HIGHER PROBABILITY OF SYMPTOMATIC COMPLAINTS AMONG POOR SLEEPERS AS WELL AS A STRONG POTITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DREAMING AND INDEXES OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY. THIS STUDY DID NOT RESOLVE CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES, PERSONALITY MEASURES, AMOUNT OF DREAMING, AND GOOD AND POOR SLEEP; HOWEVER, SIGNIFICANT EEG, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES WERE DEMONSTRATED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)