Research

Mixed

Sleep disturbance (insomnia, fragmented REM) following trauma impairs the consolidation of extinction memory, thereby contributing to the development and perpetuation of PTSD.

If you have experienced trauma, prioritizing sleep quality is a critical part of recovery, not just a comfort. Sleep disturbances like insomnia or fragmented REM sleep can prevent your brain from properly processing and 'extinguishing' fear memories, potentially leading to PTSD. Addressing sleep issues, either through lifestyle changes or therapy, is a key step in preventing long-term psychological damage.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
We hypothesize that sleep disturbance resulting from an acute trauma, or predating the traumatic experience, may contribute to the etiology of PTSD. ... Sleep disturbance may result in failure of extinction memory to persist and generalize, and we suggest that this constitutes one, non-exclusive mechanism by which poor sleep contributes to the development and perpetuation of PTSD.
Edward F. Pace‐Schott et al. · Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders · 2015

Why this rating

The paper is a comprehensive review citing multiple prospective studies, animal models, and neuroimaging data, though it acknowledges the field is in its infancy regarding specific mechanisms.

Source

Sleep and REM sleep disturbance in the pathophysiology of PTSD: the role of extinction memory

Edward F. Pace‐Schott et al. · Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders · 2015

DOI 10.1186/s13587-015-0018-9

narrative_reviewCited 249×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →