A poor night’s sleep can increase anxiety by up to 30 per cent.
American research has revealed that a poor night’s sleep can trigger an up to 30 per cent rise in anxiety levels, while a daily dose of deep sleep is a natural means of reducing anxiety. Two sleep laboratory experiments (with 18 and 32 healthy adults respectively) were conducted with brain monitoring (polysomnography) and scanning (study 1 only). In addition, two online samples of healthy adults (n = 194 and 154 respectively) tracked their sleep and anxiety over two and four consecutive days/nights respectively. Across laboratory studies those adults who experienced more night-time deep (non-REM) sleep experienced the lowest levels of anxiety the next day. Following sleep deprivation 50 per cent of participants experienced clinical levels of anxiety. Among the online participants, the amount and quality of sleep that participants had predicted how anxious they felt the next day. The researchers report that even modest improvements in sleep quality may help reduce subjective anxiety, which highlights the role of targeting sleep in anxiety treatment.
doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0754-8
Disclaimer: Published in InPsych on December 2019. The APS aims to ensure that information published in InPsych is current and accurate at the time of publication. Changes after publication may affect the accuracy of this information. Readers are responsible for ascertaining the currency and completeness of information they rely on, which is particularly important for government initiatives, legislation or best-practice principles which are open to amendment. The information provided in InPsych does not replace obtaining appropriate professional and/or legal advice.