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Emotion, emotion regulation and sleep: An intimate relationship

Tijdschriftbijdrage - Tijdschriftartikel

The functions of sleep within the realm of learning, memory, physical recovery and immunity are well documented across species. This might be due to the bidirectional influence between emotions and stress. When stress is insufficiently regulated, it may result in anxiety disorders, such as acute and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as sleep disturbances. Evidence for an emotion regulating function of sleep is provided by experimental research, including sleep deprivation studies, and by neuroimaging studies of the brain. The bi-directional relationship between sleep disturbances and PTSD and depression is explored in the context of neurophysiologic insights. Daytime emotional stress affects sleep by influencing sleep physiology and dream patterns, dream content and the emotion within a dream, although its exact role is still unclear. Other effects that have been found are the exaggerated startle response, decreased dream recall and elevated awakening thresholds from REM-sleep, increased or decreased latency to REM- sleep, increased percentage of REM-density, REM-sleep duration and the occurrence of arousals in sleep as a marker of sleep disruption. However, not only do daytime events affect sleep, also the quality and amount of sleep influences the way we react to these events and may be an important determinant in general well-being. Sleep seems restorative in daily functioning whereas deprivation of sleep makes us more sensitive to emotional and stressful stimuli and events. The way sleep impacts next day’s mood/emotion is thought to be in particularly affected by REM-sleep where we observe a hyperlimbic and hypoactive dorsolateral prefrontal functioning in combination with a normal functioning of the medial prefrontal cortex, probably adaptive in coping with the continuous stream of emotional events we experience.
Tijdschrift: AIMS Neuroscience
ISSN: 2373-7972
Issue: 1
Volume: 5
Pagina's: 1-17
Jaar van publicatie:2017
Trefwoorden:Emotion, Emotion regulation, Modulation, Rapid eye movement, Sleep, Stress
Auteurs:International
Toegankelijkheid:Open