Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? It’s not irreversible, and it might just be due to a lack of sleep, according to a new international study. Poor sleep quality or insufficient sleep can negatively affect emotional functioning, impact positive moods, and increase the risk of anxiety symptoms.
“In our largely sleep-deprived society, it’s crucial to quantify the effects of sleep loss on emotions to promote psychological health,” explains Dr. Cara Palmer from Montana State University (USA), the study’s lead author, in a press release.
“This study represents the most comprehensive synthesis of experimental research on sleep and emotions to date and provides strong evidence that prolonged wakefulness, reduced sleep duration, and nighttime awakenings negatively influence emotional functioning,” she adds.
This research synthesizes five decades of studies on sleep deprivation and mood and is based on the analysis of data from 154 studies involving 5,717 participants.
Degraded Sleep, Disrupted Emotions
Published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, the results reveal that lack of sleep doesn’t just cause fatigue—it goes much further. It also negatively impacts emotional functioning, particularly positive moods, and increases the risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms.
More specifically, the researchers observed harmful effects on participants’ joy, happiness, and satisfaction.
“This occurred even after short periods of sleep deprivation, such as going to bed an hour or two later than usual or losing just a few hours of sleep. We also found that lack of sleep increased anxiety symptoms and dulled responsiveness to emotional stimuli,” continues Dr. Cara Palmer.
A Sleep-Deprived Society
While the study has some limitations, such as a lack of diversity in participant age (23 years on average) and cultures (limited to the U.S. and Europe), it still provides valuable insight into how sleep deprivation can impact mental health and the potential consequences on personal and professional life.
“Research has shown that over 30% of adults and up to 90% of adolescents do not get enough sleep. The implications of this research for individual and public health are significant in a largely sleep-deprived society. Industries and sectors exposed to sleep deprivation, such as first responders, pilots, and truck drivers, should develop and adopt policies that prioritize sleep to mitigate risks to daytime functioning and well-being,” concludes the study’s lead author.
