Towards an Integrative Account of Potential Mechanisms Mediating the Path From Sleep Dysfunction to Hallucinations

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Sleep dysfunction and hallucinations share a strong bidirectional link.
• Sleep dysfunction is a significant predictor of hallucinatory experiences.
• Understanding the mechanisms connecting sleep problems to hallucinations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify potential mechanisms linking sleep dysfunction to hallucinations.
• To explore these mechanisms across phenomenological, psychological, neural network, and neurophysiological levels.
• To synthesize existing evidence and highlight research gaps.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of existing literature was performed.
• The review examined four levels of explanation: phenomenology, psychology, neural networks, and neurophysiology.
• Lived-experience accounts were integrated with quantitative findings.

Main Results:

• Stress is a well-supported mediator between sleep dysfunction and hallucinations.
• Sleep loss impacts nervous system inflammation and brain connectivity.
• Novel mechanisms like source monitoring, mental resilience, and reasoning skills emerged from lived experiences.

Conclusions:

• Future research should test stress as a mediator in clinical populations.
• Experimental studies are needed to validate novel mediators such as source monitoring and inflammation.
• Identifying moderators of individual differences in these experiences is a key priority.