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An Examination of Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia

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An Examination of Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia
An Examination of Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia
Natalia Salzano
Hunter College, CUNY

Abstract Anxiety is commonly associated with insomnia. Many research have been done in this area. The results of the previous research studies often revealed strong relationships between anxiety and insomnia. Often, anxiety and insomnia can be frequently associated with depression. This research study was conducted among Hunter College students in order to investigate a relationship between anxiety and insomnia. There were 22 students participating in the research, between ages 18 and 34. Twelve of them were males and ten were females. There was a multiple-choice questionnaire, adapted from other research studies, with four possible answers from 0 – not at all bothered to 3 – severely bothered. The obtained results fully supported the hypothesis that there is a significant positive correlation between anxiety and insomnia. The higher is anxiety level, the higher is insomnia level. Nevertheless, the research had its own limitations, and further modifications of a research design could be done in this area of study.

An Examination of a Relationship Between Anxiety and Insomnia Anxiety is commonly associated with insomnia. A number of research studies in this area support the idea that insomnia and anxiety have common mechanisms that underlie or maintain these difficulties (Fairholme, 2012). Some studies investigate the association between anxiety, depression and insomnia, which often co-occur at the same time (Jansson-Frojmark, 2008). However, the question about cause-effect in this relationship between anxiety and insomnia still remains. In his article, Pacana (2010) stated that the anxiety disorders became the most common mental disorders in the United States. Nineteen percent of the population suffers from these afflictions every year. There are six major types of anxiety - Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Obsessive



References: Beck AT, Epstein N, Brown G, Steer RA (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 56: 893–897. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.56.6.893 Bogan, R Buckner, J. D., Bernert, R. A., Cromer, K. R., Joiner, T. E., & Schmidt, N. B. (2008). Social anxiety and insomnia: the mediating role of depressive symptoms. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 25(2), 124-130. doi:10.1002/da.20282 Fairholme, C

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