Anxiety and Primary Insomnia Often Co-Exist in a "Chicken and Egg

question 20

Essay

Anxiety and primary insomnia often co-exist in a "chicken and egg" cycle,where it seems impossible to determine whether the anxiety is causing the sleep disorder or the sleep disorder is causing the anxiety.Describe the process of how anxiety and primary insomnia might interact within a patient.Why would it be difficult to determine which came first?

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Definitions:

Blindsight

A condition in which a person can respond to visual stimuli without consciously perceiving them due to damage in the visual cortex.

Dual Processing

The principle that our mind operates on two levels simultaneously: conscious and unconscious.

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to focus one's listening attention on a single talker among a mixture of conversations and background noises.

Selective Attention

The cognitive process by which an individual focuses on one particular object or message among a range of stimuli, ignoring others.