Differences in sleep functioning between individuals with seasonal affective disorder and major depressive disorder in Finland

May 30, 2018Sleep medicine

Differences in Sleep Patterns Between People with Seasonal and Non-Seasonal Depression in Finland

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Abstract

Significant differences in sleep functioning were observed among 4153 individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), nonseasonal major depressive disorder (MDD), and controls.

Controls reported better sleep functioning compared to individuals with SAD, nonseasonal-MDD, and those with both disorders.
Individuals with SAD + MDD experienced more issues with getting enough sleep and had more breathing interruptions during sleep than those with SAD alone.
SAD + MDD individuals reported greater daytime tiredness and more sleeping difficulties compared to both SAD and nonseasonal-MDD groups.
Nonseasonal-MDD individuals felt more tired during the day than those with SAD, indicating distinct daytime fatigue patterns.

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BACKGROUND: Sleep problems are commonly reported in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the specific characteristics of sleep difficulties differ. Frequent sleep problems in MDD are insomnia and night awakenings, whereas SAD patients complain of hypersomnia and daytime sleepiness. No previous studies have reported differences in sleep functioning between these two disorders.

METHODS: We interviewed 4554 subjects from the Health 2011 survey and included 4153 individuals in this study. We selected participants who fulfilled the criteria for SAD (n = 223), nonseasonal-MDD (n = 238), SAD + MDD (n = 65), and controls (n = 3627). They completed the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Munich version (M-CIDI), the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the EuroQoL (EQ-5), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and several questions about sleeping, based on the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ).

RESULTS: We found Significant differences between groups for "enough sleep", "breathing interruptions during sleep", "tiredness during the day", and "sleeping difficulties". Controls reported better functioning in all sleep variables. SAD + MDD individuals showed more problems in "enough sleep" than SAD, more "breathing interruptions during sleep" than SAD and nonseasonal-MDD, felt more "tired during the day" than SAD and nonseasonal-MDD, and reported more "sleeping difficulties" than SAD and nonseasonal-MDD. Finally, nonseasonal-MDD individuals felt more "tired during the day" than SAD.

CONCLUSION: Individuals with SAD + MDD show generalized sleeping problems. However, when SAD and nonseasonal-MDD appear separately, similar sleep functioning is observed. Nonseasonal-MDD subjects report to be more tired during the day than SAD.

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Differences in sleep functioning between individuals with seasonal affective disorder and major depressive disorder in Finland

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