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For women with bipolar disorder, sleep quality affects mood

Jul 1, 2015

sleep_alarm clock" width="300" height="200" /></a>Poor sleep is associated with negative mood in women with bipolar disorder, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and University of Michigan Medical School.

<a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml">Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.</a> The condition is marked by extreme mood episodes characterized as manic (highs) depressive (lows) or mixed.

Sleep problems are common in people with bipolar disorder, and poor sleep quality and bipolar disorder appear to exacerbate each other. Previous research shows that poor sleep quality is a symptom of depressive and manic episodes, and that lack of sleep can trigger mania.

"Patients with bipolar disorder often suffer with sleep problems even when many of their other symptoms are well-controlled," said <a href="http://www.pennstatehershey.org/findaprovider/provider/view/1820">Dr. Erika Saunders</a>, chair, department of <a href="http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/psychiatry">psychiatry</a> at Penn State College of Medicine and adjunct research investigator with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. "Improving their sleep could not only better their quality of life, but also help them avoid mood episodes.

Finding the best treatments for sleep disorders in people with bipolar disorder meant investigating differences between women and men with the condition.

"Women and men sleep differently," Saunders explained. "We know from studies of the general population that women have a different type of sleep architecture than men, and they

Penn State PR contact: Matthew Solovey: [email protected]. University of Michigan Medical School PR contact: Kara Gavin: [email protected].