Inadequate sleep for 5 days may affect emotional reactions

In a recent Journal of Sleep Research study, participants perceived pleasant and neutral pictures in a more negative way when their sleep was restricted for several nights in a row.

An inadequate amount of sleep can negatively affect emotional processing, causing behavioural and neurofunctional changes. However, unlike the condition of total sleep deprivation, which has been extensively studied, the effects of prolonged sleep restriction have received less attention. 

In the study, participants were tested the morning after 5 nights of regular sleep and after 5 consecutive nights of sleep restriction (5 hours a night).

"Insufficient sleep may impose a negative emotional bias, leading to an increased tendency to evaluate emotional stimuli as negative," said lead author Daniela Tempesta, PhD, of the University of L'Aquila, in Italy. She noted that the findings are especially pertinent because chronic sleep restriction is a common and underestimated health problem in the general population. "Considering the pervasiveness of insufficient sleep in modern society, our results have potential implications for daily life, as well as in clinical settings."

These results provide the first evidence that an inadequate amount of sleep for five consecutive nights determines an alteration of the evaluation of pleasant and neutral stimuli, imposing a negative emotional bias.

For more details click on the link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13022