The mesograde amnesia of sleep may be attenuated in subjects with primary insomnia

Perception of sound stimuli during sleep in patients with paradoxical insomnia

“…Although these patients also exhibit increased activity in the beta frequency during REM sleep, [20,34] the patients in our experiment were not influenced by sound stimuli at this stage. In addition, our findings also support the theory of the attenuation/suppression of the mesograde amnesia [28] that would be the reason subjects with paradoxical insomnia are able to recall and/or recognize information from sleep onset intervals better than good sleepers.…”

“…The Neurocognitive Model of Insomnia proposes that subjects with primary insomnia develop an increase in high-frequency EEG activity (i.e., beta/gamma activity) at or around sleep onset, besides the attenuation and/or suppression of the mesograde amnesia which is normally attendant upon sleep [26,27]. The increased beta/gamma EEG activity allows for increased sensory processing, information processing, and the formation of long-term memory [28]. The attenuation and/ or suppression of the mesograde amnesia would permit subjects with primary insomnia to recall and/or recognize information from sleep onset intervals rather than good sleeper controls [26,27].…”

Transient Insomnia Versus Chronic Insomnia: A Comparison Study of Sleep‐Related Psychological/Behavioral Characteristics

“…The threat of sleeplessness in insomnia patients was thought to change their cognitive processes and increase their pre‐sleep cognitive activity levels; this conditioned arousal may interfere with the process of falling asleep (Espie, Broomfield, MacMahon, Macphee, & Taylor, ; Harvey, ; Perlis et al., ). Research has shown evidence of attentional bias toward sleep‐related stimuli (Jones, Macphee, Broomfield, Jones, & Espie, ; MacMahon, Broomfield, & Espie, ; Marchetti, Biello, Broomfield, Macmahon, & Espie, ; Spiegelhalder, Espie, Nissen, & Riemann, ; Woods, Marchetti, Biello, & Espie, ) as well as increased pre‐sleep arousal and cognitive activities prior to sleep (Harvey, ; Nelson & Harvey, ; Nicassio, Mendlowitz, Fussell, & Petras, ; Perlis, Smith, Orff, Andrews, & Giles, ; Wicklow & Espie, ) in insomnia patients.…”

Enhancing CBT for Chronic Insomnia: A Randomised Clinical Trial of Additive Components of Mindfulness or Cognitive Therapy

“…The third cognitive process suggested to perpetuate insomnia is misperception of sleep and daytime deficit. It is common for people with insomnia to overestimate how long it takes them to fall asleep and underestimate how long they sleep in total, relative to normal sleepers (Perlis, Smith, Orff, Andrews & Giles, ). They are also more likely to perceive greater daytime deficits following a night of poor sleep (Semler & Harvey, ).…”