Time estimation in chronic insomnia sufferers

Abstract

Study Objective: The objective of the present study is 2-fold: (1) compare the time-estimation performance of chronic insomnia sufferers to that of good sleepers and (2) evaluate the severity of the sleep complaint in order to assess its association with the time-estimation performance. Design: Between subjects design. Participants: The sample included 11 individuals suffering from chronic primary insomnia (7 women and 4 men, mean age = 44.64 years, SD = 12.71) and 11 good sleepers (5 women and 6 men, mean age = 48.00 years, SD = 7.86). Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: All participants completed a time-estimation task, namely a finger-tapping task. The results indicate no significant between-group differences on time-estimation data, as well as no significant relationship between severity of insomnia complaint and estimation of time. Conclusion: These results suggest that the tendency to misestimate sleep difficulties is not linked to impaired time estimation-specific processes in insomnia sufferers, as measured with the present task.