A study by Korean medical researchers has confirmed that craving for a good night's sleep may aggravate insomnia in later life.

The study showed that as people age, they tend to sleep for shorter periods and develop a yearning for a good night's sleep, which can cause or worsen insomnia in later life.

Samsung Medical Center said Thursday that a research team led by Professor Kim Seog-ju of the Department of Psychiatry examined the effects of expectations and worries about sleep on brainwave changes in old age in a study of 45 people aged 60 and older who complained of insomnia between November 2021 and October 2022.

The researchers used a 62-channel EEG amplifier to record the participants' quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). They simultaneously analyzed their sleep status, attitudes, and stress responses to insomnia. The average age of the patients enrolled in the study was 68.1 years, and all participants reported clinically significant sleep disturbances and mild depression and anxiety symptoms. Their cognitive function was normal.

The researchers found that those with greater dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep scale-16 (DBAS-16) had increased beta waves in all brain regions. Beta waves are typically measured when the brain is awake. The study participants had excessively high beta waves when they believed irrationally that not getting enough sleep would cause problems the next day or that the sleep environment had to be perfect for a good night's sleep.

The researchers explained that this suggests that people are engaging in cognitive rumination in bed or ruminating about sleep, which prevents them from falling asleep. To combat this, it's important to cope with stress, but the EEG showed that the participants' ability to do so was reduced.

When the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST) was used to measure how much sleep was disrupted in stressful situations, those more reactive tended to have increased delta and theta waves in all brain areas. Delta and theta waves are typically observed during deep sleep. However, when they are abnormally high during wakefulness, they are evidence of a deactivated brain and reduced ability to cope with stress.

“This study shows that EEG measurements can provide a more three-dimensional view of insomnia in older adults,” Professor Kim said. “It is important to take care of the mind, along with cognitive behavioral therapy, to resolve insomnia so we can expect a full night's sleep.”