SLEEP PROFILE IN PATIENTS WITH GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER: A PSG EVALUATION IN AN EGYPTIAN SAMPLE

Abstract

Although sleep disturbances are often encountered in patients with generalized anxiety disorders, polysomnographic studies documented limited alteration of sleep continuity. Regarding sleep architecture, no clear picture emerges for specific anxiety disorders. An unequivocal sleep architecture profile that could specifically relate to a particular anxiety disorder could not be evidenced; in contrast, conflicting results are often found for the same disorder (Staner, 2003). These Discrepancies between studies raised the need for further studying of the sleep profile in generalized anxiety disorders. The sample consists of 20 Egyptian adults diagnosed with GAD. The cases were selected randomly from patients attending the outpatient psychiatry clinic in the Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University Hospital. Sleep was assessed using PSG evaluation.