Meta-Analysis of Sleep Deprivation Effects on Patients With Depression

Objective: Depression is a common disorder with a high recurrence rate. Since the effect of sleep deprivation on depression in existing studies were inconsistent, the present study aimed to reassess the effects of SD on patients by performing a meta-analysis of updated research. Methods: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for articles before January 20th, 2021. Data on participant characteristics, SD characteristics, adjunctive method and tests for depression were extracted. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to assess the effect of SD on depression and subgroup analysis was used to determine the sources of heterogeneity. Results: In total, 8 articles were included. An SD time of < 7 days slightly worsened depression levels [0.24 (-0.21, 0.69); I-2 = 0%; P = 0.43], a time of 7-14 days had antidepressant effects [-1.52 (-2.07, -0.97); I-2 = 19.6%; P = 0.288], and a time of more than 14 days also worsened depression [0.76 (0.12, 1.40); I-2 = 43.7%; P = 0.169]. Conclusion: SD may serve as an effective antidepressant measure in humans when the time was 7-14 days, while a time of < 7 days and more than 14 days worsened depression.

Automated summary

This meta-analysis found that sleep deprivation may have antidepressant effects in the short term, but prolonged deprivation may worsen depression.