Disordered Sleep & Rhythms: Causes or Consequences of Psychiatric Disorders?-View Presentation

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Ruth Benka, Chair of Psychiatry at Wake Forest University, discusses the relationship between sleep disorders and psychiatric illnesses. Early studies found that individuals with major depression often showed abnormalities in REM sleep, with a tendency to enter REM sleep earlier and experience greater REM intensity. These findings spurred studies on sleep in various psychiatric disorders. It was noted that individuals with mood disorders often have reduced time before REM sleep and issues with slow wave sleep. However, sleep parameters were not particularly useful for diagnosing psychiatric disorders. Research revealed that sleep disturbances often precede psychiatric illnesses, with insomnia predicting depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders.<br /><br />Sleep interventions, including sleep deprivation and insomnia treatments, show promise in affecting psychiatric outcomes. Despite seeming contradictory, sleep deprivation can have antidepressant effects due to increased brain plasticity and slow-wave activity. However, recovery sleep often brings back depressive symptoms. Studies have shown that treating insomnia may reduce depressive symptoms and suicide risk, highlighting a bi-directional relationship where disordered sleep and rhythms are both consequences and contributors to psychiatric disorders. The importance of assessing sleep and rhythm disturbances in psychiatric patients is emphasized.

Keywords

sleep disorders

psychiatric illnesses

REM sleep

mood disorders

insomnia

depression

sleep interventions

brain plasticity

suicide risk