Sleep and Emotion in Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Studies Using Polysomnography, Actigraphy and Fitbit Data

Despite the extensive research on sleep and emotion, there is a notable lack of studies examining the impact of sleep on emotion during adolescence, particularly those that use biomedical devices to measure sleep parameters.

The primary purpose of this systematic review is to critically examine and synthesise the current research on the impact of sleep parameters (duration of sleep, sleep-onset latency, and sleep debt) measured using three biomedical devices (Polysomnography, Actigraphy, and Fitbit) on emotional experience, emotional reactivity, and emotion-regulation capacities in adolescents. Furthermore, the review sheds light on key insights and gaps within the recent literature. Using the PEO and PRISMA frameworks, five electronic databases (ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and EBSCO) are searched. Eleven studies meeting the inclusion criteria are assessed through the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) and found to exhibit moderate to high quality. The present study observes that sleep disruption and deprivation are detrimental in three key aspects of emotions in adolescents: emotional experience, emotional reactivity, and emotion-regulation capacities.

This systematic review draws attention to the key insights and significant gaps in recent literature on the impact of sleep on emotion in adolescents, a critical period and transitional phase of human development. The review opens up new avenues for exploration, particularly in the design of sleep interventions aimed at fostering emotional well-being in adolescents.