Insomnia
Chronic Insomnia Is Associated and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis – (08-23-01)
Chronic Insomnia Is Associated and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis
This is a technical but interesting article on sleep disorders. The authors suggest that one type of insomnia is not insomnia at all, but rather a state of hyperarousal–the body is not yet ready to shut down. This occurs as a result of increased secretion of cortisol from the adrenal glands. This would indicate that a salivary profile for adrenocortical stress would be strongly indicated in any patients having difficulty falling asleep at night. We would also expect to see problems with estrogen/testosterone levels as the adrenals shunt precursors away from DHEA and over to production of cortisol. Nutritional intervention and exercise can be used to help bring these imbalances under control.
JCEM — Abstracts: Vgontzas et al. 86 (8): 3787
