Insomnia and Cognitive Performance

Insomnia is the most common sleep problem, affecting between 30% and 50% in the general adult population. Insomnia is characterized by difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, along with dissatisfaction with sleep quality or quantity. Insomnia complaints are linked to clinically significant distress or impairment in key areas of functioning, especially daytime cognitive performance. Cognitive impairments related to insomnia are subtle, and may represent distinct differences from those seen in other sleep disorders. This article updates and summarizes the recent literature investigating cognitive impairments in individuals with insomnia, and identifies the cognitive domains of functioning that are consistently impaired.