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Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
Associations between sleep-related heart rate variability and both sleep and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A
Arron T L Correia1, Gosia Lipinska2, H G Laurie Rauch1
1Health Through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre & Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Abstract:
There is a bidirectional relationship between poor sleep and both mood- and anxiety-related disorders, which are among leading global health concerns. Additionally, both disordered sleep and these psychiatric disorders appear to be independently associated with altered autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. We hypothesise that ANS dysregulation during sleep may explain part of the relationship between poor sleep and mood- and anxiety-related disorders. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a frequently used marker of ANS function and gives an indication of ANS input to the heart - in particular, of the relative contributions of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science yielded 41 studies dealing with sleep, mood- and anxiety-related disorders and sleep-related HRV. Hyperarousal during sleep, reflecting a predominance of sympathetic activation and indicative of ANS dysregulation, may be an important factor in the association between poor sleep and mood-related disorders. Longitudinal studies and mediation analyses are necessary to further understand the potential mediating role of ANS dysregulation on the relationship between poor sleep and mood- and anxiety-related disorders.
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