Short Sleep Duration and Circadian Rhythms: Association with Suicidal Behaviour

Abstract

Abstract:The current lifestyles in modern societies promote a behaviourally-induced sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm alterations. Some sleep disorders influence the development of suicidal behaviours. This study aims to review the literature exploring the association of both short sleep duration and sleep circadian rhythms with suicidal behaviours. A review was conducted in the PubMed database, using the query ("circadian rhythms" OR "sleep" OR "sleep disorders") AND ("suicide" OR "suicidal behaviour" OR "suicidality"). The results were filtered for the last 10 years, with 522 results. Studies relating sleep disorders or circadian rhythms with suicidal behaviours, using a well-defined index for sleep disorders, and any measure of suicidal behaviour, were included. After the selection criteria, 48 studies were selected for qualitative analysis. An association between short sleep duration and an increased risk of suicidal behaviour was found in most of the studies with children/adolescents and adults. Particularly, studies measuring weekend vs. weekday sleep duration suggest a concrete role of behaviourally-induced sleep deprivation in this increased risk. Contrastingly, in studies with the elderly, that association was not significant. For sleep circadian rhythms, the studies point to an association between an evening-type chronotype and suicidal behaviours. The results suggest a significant association of short sleep duration and evening-type chronotype with suicidal behaviours, for youth and adults. Both sleep disorders could be connected through a behaviourally-induced sleep deprivation. These associations can provide possible fields of intervention to prevent suicide.