[Individual differences in sleep macrostructure: effects of anxiety, depression, aging and gender].

OBJECTIVE

Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric symptoms frequently associated with sleep disorders. Despite the intensive research, the role of sleep in the patomechanism of anxiety has remained unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the anxiety-related changes in the sleep macrostructure and the impact of ageing, gender and the presence of depression.

METHODS

1083 patients with sleep symptoms were enrolled in the study. All patients have all night polysomnographies. The effect of anxiety, depression, aging and gender on the sleep initiation, maintenance and sleep stages respectively; were analysed in 4 different statistical approaches.

RESULTS

Anxiety increased the latency of sleep and REM sleep; and decreased the length of REM sleep and slow-wave sleep; while depressive symptoms were associated with reduced REM latency, slow-wave sleep and increased REM duration. The length of slow-wave sleep, REM phase decreased with ageing and the sleep was fragmented. Women had more slow-wave sleep and less REM sleep than men.

CONCLUSION

Normal order of sleep stages is essential in the cognitive processing of the brain. Changes in sleep macrostructure may have an impact in the impairment of cognitive functions of patients suffering from anxiety or depression.