Depression and Anxiety Associated with Insomnia and Recent Stressful Life Events

Abstract

Sleep and stress are closely related phenomenon. Various sleep disturbances, including insomnia, may develop after stressful experiences or under stressful circumstances [1]. Individuals with underlying sleep problems are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety after a stressful event than are those without sleep problems [2-5]. The recent concept of sleep reactivity [6] describes the degree to which a stressor disrupts sleep [7]. Individuals with high sleep reactivity are more vulnerable to sleep disturbances after stress. Sleep reactivity is a predictive factor for insomnia [8], and of the various and heterogeneous etiologies of insomnia, it is thought to be the main cause of transient and chronic insomnia [9]. Insomnia is closely associated with depression and anxiety [10]; it is a diagnostic criterion for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder [11-13], and people with insomnia have more severe depression and anxiety symptoms than normal sleepers [14]. Furthermore, people with insomnia are more likely to deDepression and Anxiety Associated with Insomnia and Recent Stressful Life Events