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Examining the effects of sleep delay on depressed males and females and healthy controls
Author(s) -
Goldschmied Jennifer R.,
Cheng Philip,
Armitage Roseanne,
Deldin Patricia J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1111/jsr.12174
Subject(s) - bedtime , depression (economics) , sleep (system call) , psychology , slow wave sleep , audiology , electroencephalography , psychiatry , clinical psychology , medicine , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , operating system
Summary Individuals with major depressive disorder typically exhibit sleep electroencephalograpy abnormalities which have been shown to vary by sex. Recent research has shown that depressed males display deficits in slow wave sleep and delta electroencephalograph ( EEG ) activity that are not apparent in depressed females. This may suggest that males and females with depression vary with respect to their homeostatic regulation of sleep. Utilizing archival data, the present study examined the effects of a 3‐h sleep delay, which represents a mild sleep challenge, on slow wave activity in healthy controls and individuals with depression. All participants slept in the laboratory for three sequential nights. On the third night in the laboratory, the participants' bedtime was delayed by 3 h. Slow wave activity was calculated utilizing power spectral analysis and compared across groups. Following the sleep delay, males with depression exhibited the lowest slow wave activity compared to all other groups. These results may suggest that males with depression are at a greater risk for homeostatic dysregulation than females, and may require specialized intervention.