A review suggests gaining a better understanding of the relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms and mental health could unlock new holistic treatments to alleviate mental health problems.
The researchers examined the possible mechanisms behind sleep-circadian disturbances in psychiatric disorders. During adolescence, physiological changes in how we sleep combine with behavioural changes, such as staying up later, getting less sleep on school nights and sleeping in on weekends.
Many current treatments for psychiatric disorders are based on one-size-fits-all, trial-and-error approaches. Understanding the sleep and circadian patterns of individuals living with these disorders offers exciting opportunities for early intervention and the precisely tailored therapies people deserve. New, wearable devices able to accurately measure these sleep and circadian patterns across long timescales should really help bring this precision to psychiatry.
Researchers also looked at the role of genes, exposure to light, neuroplasticity and other possible factors. Those with a genetic predisposition towards a reduced change in activity levels between rest and wake phases are more likely to experience depression, mood instability, and neuroticism. Population-level surveys show self-reported time outdoors was associated with a lower probability of mood disorder. Sleep is thought to play a key role in how the brain forms new neural connections and processes emotional memories.
Paper: 'The sleep-circadian interface: a window into mental disorders' by Nicholas Meyer, Sarah L. Chellappa et al. in Proceedings of the National Academy (PNAS)