Insomnia is a frequent finding in adults with Asperger syndrome Tani P, Lindberg
N, Nieminen-von Wendt T, von Wendt L, Alanko L, Appelberg B, Porkka-Heiskanen
T Abstract: BMC Psychiatry 2003 3:12 Findings Children with Asperger syndrome (AS) have difficulty falling and staying asleep (insomnia); it is unknown whether similar sleep disturbances are also present in adults with AS. In this study, Dr. Tani and colleagues studied 20 adult subjects with AS (average age, 27.2 years) and 10 adult control subjects (average age 26.5 years) without AS or any other neuropsychiatric disorders. The investigators assessed sleep quality and problems with a questionnaire, diary, and interview on 6 consecutive days. Compared with controls, most AS subjects reported chronic insomnia: 90% in the questionnaire, 75% in a diary, and 85% in an interview with the subject. According to the sleep diaries, AS subjects showed a tendency to a greater night-to-night variability of sleep, a feature typical of insomnia. Of the 20 subjects with AS studied here, 14 also had personality disorder, 8 subjects had social phobia, and altogether 13 subjects reached the threshold for clinical anxiety disorder, all of which can lead to sleep disturbance. According to other sleep questionnaire studies, patients with social phobia report it takes them longer to fall asleep, and they often report frequent sleep disturbances. Conclusions The authors conclude that the neuropsychiatric deficits inherent with AS predispose adults both to insomnia and to anxiety and mood disorders. Therefore, a careful assessment of sleep quality should be an integral part of the treatment plan in these individuals. Conversely, a physician assessing an adult with chronic insomnia should also consider autism spectrum disorders as one of the potential causes of this condition. |