There is an intricate relationship between emotional health, mental health and sleep.
Sleep disorders have been known to contribute to some mental illnesses, and many emotional and mental health problems have sleep disorders as side effects. Stress, especially emotional and anxiety-induced stress, can be a contributor to all three problems as well.
Studying the Relationship
A new study has added to the information we have about how disrupted, insufficient sleep may contribute to the onset of emotional problems as well as the development of psychiatric problems like depression. The study, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, investigated the emotional responses in the brains of people suffering from insomnia.
The researchers found near-consistent dysfunctional activity in the area of the brain that regulates and processes emotions. These findings could provide an explanation for the mechanism by which disrupted sleep influences depression and other psychiatric conditions.
The research included 44 adults, 14 of which had chronic insomnia but no other primary psychiatric disorders. The other 30 slept well. All 44 were given a voluntary emotional regulation task in sequence.
They were first shown a series of images that contained both negative and neutral emotional content and asked to view them passively, allowing their emotional responses to happen naturally. They were then shown the images again and asked to try to lower their emotional response using a technique called cognitive reappraisal. This process was repeated several times over several days while sleep monitoring was also in place.
Difference Between Insomniacs and Others
The researchers found a distinct difference in the brain activity of those with insomnia compared to the others, specifically in the amygdala, a cluster of neurons in the temporal lobe that is critical to processing and regulating emotion. Yet the difference between the insomniacs and the others was only apparent when the reappraisal technique was attempted, not during the passive portion of the test.
Where the cognitive reappraisal technique lowers amygdala activity in those who sleep well, it raises activity in those who do not, the study found.
This may be a very significant key to understanding how insomnia impairs emotional control and responses, which would help us understand how it can contribute to some psychiatric disorders.
This study from Pittsburgh is one of many looking into the role of sleep in emotional well-being and control. The two are very close-knit.
