Research

Mixed

Treating sleep disorders (insomnia, sleep apnea, nightmares) in trauma survivors reduces systemic inflammation and improves physical health outcomes.

If you are a trauma survivor with sleep problems, get assessed for sleep disorders like apnea or insomnia. Treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), CPAP for apnea, or specific medications (like Trazodone) can reduce inflammation and improve your physical health. Be open with your provider about any trauma triggers related to sleep devices.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Sleep problems impact health in a number of negative ways... The link between sleep disturbances and inflammation appears to be bidirectional—with poor sleep increasing inflammation, and inflammation decreasing the quality of sleep... To lessen the negative health effects of sleep problems, the first step is to assess trauma survivors for possible sleep disorders.
Kathleen Kendall–Tackett · Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy · 2009

Why this rating

The paper cites multiple studies linking sleep quality to inflammation and health outcomes.

Source

Psychological trauma and physical health: A psychoneuroimmunology approach to etiology of negative health effects and possible interventions.

Kathleen Kendall–Tackett · Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy · 2009

DOI 10.1037/a0015128

narrative_reviewCited 179×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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