The role of cognitive processes in sleep disturbance: a comparison of Japanese and English university students

The present study investigated the role of cognitive processes in the maintenance of clinically significant sleep disturbance across two cultures. A questionnaire was administered to 60 Japanese and 60 English university students to assess the presence of sleep disturbance, predominance of pre-sleep cognitive activity, use of thought management strategies to control pre-sleep cognitive activity, and the content of pre-sleep cognitive activity. The results indicated that across both cultures poor sleepers attributed their sleep disturbance to the presence of uncontrollable pre-sleep cognitive activity. Minor differences between the Japanese and English samples included the strategies employed to control pre-sleep cognitive activity. The English participants were more likely to engage in reappraisal whereas the Japanese sample were more likely to engage in punishment and worry. These results are suggestive of the cross-cultural applicability of cognitive models of insomnia.