A large study suggests that losing just an hour or two of sleep a night can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Researchers at the American Psychological Association examined more than 150 studies conducted over a 50-year period that included participants whose sleep was disrupted for at least one night.
Participants stayed awake longer than normal or slept for shorter periods. The team also measured the effects of sleep deprivation on mood, as well as feelings of anxiety and depression.
The team found that all these types of sleep loss resulted in less positive emotions such as joy and happiness (a sign of depression) and more signs of anxiety.
The results shed light on the lasting effects of lack of sleep, which affects more than 40 percent of Americans.
Researchers at the American Psychological Association found that a lack of just one to two hours of sleep worsens symptoms of depression and anxiety
Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, memory loss, diabetes, heart disease, heightened and unstable emotions, reduced learning ability and a reduced immune response, making you vulnerable to disease
Dr. Cara Palmer, lead author of the study and director of the Sleep and Development Laboratory at Montana State University, said: “In our largely sleep-deprived society, quantifying the effects of sleep loss on emotions is critical to promoting sleep mental health. “
“This study represents the most comprehensive synthesis of experimental sleep and emotion research to date and provides strong evidence that periods of prolonged wakefulness, shorter sleep time, and nocturnal awakenings negatively impact human emotional functioning.”
The researchers examined 154 studies conducted between 1966 and 2022. There were 5,715 participants between the ages of seven and 79. The average age was 23 years and the analysis included an equal number of men and women.
All participants lost at least one night’s sleep. In some studies, participants were kept awake for longer periods of time.
In other cases, however, they were allowed to sleep for shorter periods than normal.
The studies also examined how emotions changed as a result of sleep deprivation, including self-reported mood, response to emotional stimuli, and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The team found that all types of sleep loss measured led to less positive emotions, such as joy, happiness and contentment, which are indicative of depression.
Participants also experienced increased symptoms of anxiety, including palpitations and worry.
The researchers were surprised to find that these changes occurred even in those who lost only an hour or two of sleep a night.
“This happened even after short periods of sleep loss, such as staying awake an hour or two later than normal or after only losing a few hours of sleep,” said dr. Palmer. “We also found that sleep loss increases anxiety symptoms and decreases arousal in response to emotional stimuli.”
This may be because sleep deprivation causes the body to release greater amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers a fight-or-flight response in the nervous system.
This response leads to physical symptoms of anxiety, including rapid breathing and high heart rate.
In addition, too little sleep changes the amount of serotonin the brain produces, which regulates mood. A lack of serotonin can lead to depressive feelings, including low levels of happiness and reduced self-esteem.
The researchers noted that the age of the participants was a limitation, as the majority were young adults. They said future research should include a more diverse age group to understand how sleep deprivation affects people as they age.
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Anyone who has ever slept well will remember the hardships of the next day.
Lack of sleep has been repeatedly linked to chronic health problems such as sleep apnea, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and depression.
It can also cause insomnia, where a person often has trouble falling asleep.
Lack of sleep is widespread in the United States.
Hawaii, West Virginia and Kentucky are the most sleep-deprived states, according to 2020 data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which surveyed 400,000 Americans in the United States.
In this data set, sleep deprivation means less than seven hours per night.
The least sleep deprived states were Colorado, Minnesota and South Dakota.
Data show that nationwide, about 34 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 do not sleep (less than seven hours a night).
That share drops to 26 percent when adults are over 65, but it still means that more than a quarter of adults don’t get enough sleep.
Men are generally more likely than women to not get enough sleep: 33.3 percent sleep less than seven hours a night, compared to 32.1 percent of women.
“Research shows that more than 30 percent of adults and up to 90 percent of teenagers don’t get enough sleep,” says Dr. Palmer.
“The implications of this research for individual and public health are of great importance in a largely sleep-deprived society.”
“Industry and sectors sensitive to sleep loss, such as first responders, pilots and truck drivers, need to develop and implement policies that prioritize sleep to reduce risks to daytime functioning and well-being.”
The study was published Thursday in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
