Explanation of sleep disorders Flashcards
what does the genetic explanation of insomnia suggest?
it suggests that some people could have a genetic predisposition to insomnia
what did Beaulieu and Bonneau report?
reported that 34.9% of insomniacs surveyed said they had a first degree relative with current insomnia or a history of the disorder. mothers were especially likely to be identified as the sufferers.
what did watson et al find?
he found that the concordance rate for MZ twin insomnia was 47% while the concordance for DZ twin insomnia was only 15%. This means that genetics must play a role in whether someone suffers from insomnia.
why is it clear that genetics are not the only cause for insomnia?
concordance rates in MZ twins are not 100%
what does MZ twin stand for?
mono-zygotic twins
what does DZ twin stand for?
di-zygotic twins
what did Joho do?
He looked at mice with odd sleeping patterns that were almost equivalent to human insomnia and tested there genes.
What did Joho find?
he found that the mice with the odd sleeping patterns could have had mutations in their genes
what did Dauvilliers do?
he asked 258 insomniacs to complete clinical interviews and questionnaires regarding their own and the sleeping habits of family members. he did the same thing with a control group that consisted of the general public.
what did Dauvillers find?
he found that 72% of insomniacs reported a family link compared to the control group of normal people who only had 24% links.
what are some problems with Dauvillers method?
The study required the participants to complete a self report questionnaire. This means that the validity could be damaged by scocial desirability. it is also possible that insomniacs may incorrectly recall information about their families sleeping habits simply because their brain will not be functioning as well.
Why does the nature v nature debate question the validity of the Genetic explanation?
A lot of the research into the genetic explanation of insomnia uses family studies. Families share genetics and environments. this makes it hard to tell whether families are similar because of the shared environment or shared genetics.
Surmise Psychological explanation for insomnia
the psychological explanation for insomnia believes that the disorder originates through stress and is maintained through association of trying to sleep and stress.
how do the associations of trying to sleep and stress occur?
through classical conditioning
give an example of classical conditioning causing insomnia.
every night Dave brushes his teeth before he goes to sleep. one evening he is stressing about work whilst brushing his teeth and cant get to sleep all night. the next day Dave has solved his problems at work and is calm. He goes to brush his teeth before bed and subconsciously associates brushing his teeth with stress and not being able to get to sleep. Dave cant get to sleep again and the association is reinforced. Dave’s CBT therapist tells him to stop brushing his teeth. Dave doesn’t brush his teeth and finds that he can get to sleep fine.
