PTSD and Sleep

Did you know that about twenty 20 percent of people exposed to a severe traumatic event, such as a car or work accident, terrorist attack or war, cannot carry on their lives normally for a period of time? They often retain the memory of the event for many years, which can cause considerable difficulties in daily life. A new rat study done at Tel Aviv University and published in the international scientific journal, Neuropsychopharmacology, showed that sleep deprivation of approximately six hours immediately after exposure to a traumatic event reduced the development of post trauma-like behavioral responses. This means that sleep deprivation the first hours after stress exposure could represent a simple, yet effective, intervention for PTSD. Researcher Hagit Cohen is currently planning a pilot study in humans.