Long-term effects of traumatic war-related events on sleep

Eleven patients who had combat neuroses resulting from the 1973 Yom Kippur War and complained of sleep disturbances were studied in a sleep laboratory. Sleep-onset insomniacs, dream-interruption insomniacs, and pseudoinsomniacs were differentiated on the basis of electrophysiologic recordings. Compared with normal controls who actively participated in the Yom Kippur War, patients showed significantly longer sleep latencies, lower sleep efficiency indices, lower percentage of REM sleep, and longer REM latencies.