Sleep Misperception and First Night Effect in Laboratory Research

Study Objectives: Cortical hyperarousal, observed in insomnia individuals, could be influenced by sleep quality and objective sleep misperception. Usually, to be considered as a first night effect, a decrease in the quality of sleep during the first recording night in the laboratory is observed. The objectives of this study are to examine cortical arousal differences according to sleeper types between nights and to assess if cortical arousal varies according to degree of misperception. Methods: Power spectral analysis has been performed on the EEG of three consecutive nights for 61 adults; 25 good sleepers, 18 participants with psychophysiological insomnia and 18 participants with paradoxical insomnia. Results: The results suggest a first night effect for all sleepers, irrespective of type. Despite this exacerbation of sleep difficulties, cortical arousal is similar between the different sleeper types. Finally, results suggest that a cortical hypoarousal, expressed by an increase in Delta power, would promote an overestimation of sleep quantity compared to what is observed with polysomnography. Conclusions: The study of this relationship could be a promising avenue for the treatment of insomnia, this one being foremost a complaint of sleep difficulties.