Subjective and Objective Sleep Measures in Patients With Insomnia With and Without Depression

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Insomnia patients often misperceive their sleep duration compared to objective measures.
• The impact of depression on this sleep discrepancy is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how depression influences the difference between subjective and objective sleep in insomnia patients.
• To differentiate the effects of current depressive symptoms versus comorbid depressive disorder.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 229 insomnia patients' records, including sleep quality questionnaires (PSQI) and depression scores (BDI).
• Objective sleep data from polysomnography and actigraphy were compared between patients with and without depression.
• Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and multivariate regression.

Main Results:

• Insomnia patients with comorbid depression showed altered objective sleep (longer latency, lower efficiency, longer total time) via actigraphy.
• Insomnia patients with current depressive symptoms (BDI ≥14) did not differ in objective sleep but reported worse subjective sleep quality.
• Depression significantly impacted subjective sleep perception, including sleep latency and disturbances.

Conclusions:

• Current depressive symptoms in insomnia primarily affect subjective sleep perception.
• Comorbid depressive disorder influences both subjective and objective sleep measures in insomnia.
• Understanding these discrepancies is key for tailoring insomnia treatments.