Troublesome Triad: Trauma, Insomnia, and Alcohol

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between combat related trauma, insomnia, and alcohol misuse. The author reviewed the standardized tests results from 39 active duty service members, all of whom had recent deployments to either Iraq or Afghanistan. The battery of self-test instruments assessed the effects of military trauma, anxiety, depression, alcohol use, and insomnia. Among the study subjects, the entire group reported significant sleep problems, with bedtime arousals impeding sleep initiation. Male subjects' reported an average AUDIT score of 8.62. Service members with higher trauma scores also reported greater misuse of alcohol. The high trauma scores also correlated with specific pre-sleep cognitive and somatic factors. The findings of this study lend support for the use of standardized instruments for assessing sleep problems, along with similar tests for trauma and substance misuse, which together should help identify high risk military patients.