Behavioral treatment of presleep tension and intrusive cognitions in patients with severe predormital insomnia.

Behavioral approaches to the treatment of predormital insomnia have assumed that hyperarousal is the underlying cause; thus presleep tension has been the most common target treated. A second indicator, presleep intrusive cognitions, has only recently been examined as a target for treatment. In the present study, 20 subjects were randomly assigned to three groups which focused on the treatment of either (1) presleep tension alone, (2) presleep tension and intrusive cognitions, of (3) perception of sleep. Four subjects acted as controls. The findings indicated that reductions in both presleep tension and intrusive cognitions were followed by a significantly greater reduction in latency to sleep onset and daytime impairment than reductions in presleep tension alone. The results obtained from modifying the individual's perception of sleep were not significantly different from those obtained from reductions in presleep tension alone. A 6 weeks follow-up revealed no change in the relative status of the three treatment groups.