Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Dec;21(4):141-50.
doi: 10.5607/en.2012.21.4.141. Epub 2012 Dec 26.

Stress and sleep disorder

Kuem Sun Han  1 , Lin Kim, Insop Shim
Affiliations

Stress and sleep disorder

Kuem Sun Han et al. Exp Neurobiol. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review potential, physiological, hormonal and neuronal mechanisms that may mediate the sleep changes. This paper investigates the literatures regarding the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, one of the main neuroendocrine stress systems during sleep in order to identify relations between stress and sleep disorder and the treatment of stress-induced insomnia. Sleep and wakefulness are regulated by the aminergic, cholinergic brainstem and hypothalamic systems. Activation of the HPA and/or the sympathetic nervous systems results in wakefulness and these hormones including corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol or corticosterone, noradrenaline, and adrenaline, are associated with attention and arousal. Stress-related insomnia leads to a vicious circle by activating the HPA system. An awareness of the close interaction between sleep and stress systems is emerging and the hypothalamus is now recognized as a key center for sleep regulation, with hypothalamic neurontransmitter systems providing the framework for therapeutic advances. An updated understanding of these systems may allow researchers to elucidate neural mechanisms of sleep disorder and to develop effective intervention for sleep disorder.

Keywords: psychological stress response; sleep disorders; stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Partinen M. Sleep disorders and stress. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38(Suppl 1):89–91. - PubMed
    1. Vgontzas AN, Bixler EO, Lin HM, Prolo P, Mastorakos G, Vela-Bueno A, Kales A, Chrousos GP. Chronic insomnia is associated with nyctohemeral activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: clinical implications. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:3787–3794. - PubMed
    1. Weibel L, Follenius M, Spiegel K, Ehrhart J, Brandenberger G. Comparative effect of night and daytime sleep on the 24-hour cortisol secretory profile. Sleep. 1995;18:549–556. - PubMed
    1. Takahashi S, Kapás L, Fang J, Krueger JM. Somnogenic relationships between tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1. Am J Physiol. 1999;276:R1132–R1140. - PubMed
    1. Krueger JM, Rector DM, Churchill L. Sleep and cytokines. Sleep Med Clin. 2007;2:161–169. - PMC - PubMed