Individual experiences of sleep can vary greatly
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People may experience one of five sleep profiles, each reflecting distinct influences on their health.
Prior studies have connected sleep with various aspects of cognition, mental health, and physical ailments like heart disease. However, these investigations frequently focused on just one dimension of sleep, such as duration or quality.
To adopt a more comprehensive perspective, Valeria Kebets from Concordia University in Montreal, alongside her team, examined the links between seven sleep-related factors—including satisfaction and use of sleep aids—and 118 other variables like cognition, substance use, and mental health. They gathered data from cognitive assessments, sleep questionnaires, and brain imaging of 770 adults between 22 and 36 years old in the US, who had no identified health issues.
Through this analysis, researchers identified five unique sleep profiles. The first profile indicated a general trend of inadequate sleep, marked by frequent disturbances, low satisfaction, and extended time to fall asleep, correlating with poorer mental health outcomes such as symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as feelings of anger, fear, and stress.
Brain imaging of individuals in this first profile revealed diminished connectivity between networks involved in self-reflection (like the temporoparietal network) and those focused on attention and tasks (such as the somatomotor and dorsal attention networks). This suggests difficulties in the brain’s ability to transition between internal thoughts and external stimuli. People characterized by this group might find themselves preoccupied with their thoughts rather than engaging with their surroundings.
The second profile displayed poorer mental health indicators, especially concerning inattention, yet individuals reported adequate sleep patterns overall. Kebets describes this as “sleep resilience,” where deteriorating mental health does not directly influence sleep quality. Additionally, those in this group did not exhibit the brain connectivity issues apparent in the first profile, indicating a distinction between sleep problems and general mental health.
The third profile was associated with the use of sleep aids—including prescriptions and herbal teas marketed for sleep—leading to diminished memory and emotional recognition abilities, which entail interpreting emotional states from cues like facial expressions and body language. This profile exhibited reduced connectivity in brain areas associated with visual processing, memory, and emotion.
Meanwhile, the fourth profile was identified by individuals who consistently slept under the 7-hour nightly threshold, generally considered the minimum. This was linked to decreased accuracy and slower reaction times in cognitive assessments centered on emotional processing, language, and social skills. Additionally, this profile was associated with more aggressive behaviors and heightened connectivity across brain networks. Other research on sleep deprivation has noted similar connectivity increases, indicating issues tied to sleep debt.
The fifth profile similarly manifested aggression, characterized by sleep disruptions such as frequent nocturnal awakenings. These disturbances correlated with diminished capabilities in language processing and working memory, along with signs of poor mental health, including symptoms of anxiety and substance abuse.
These findings deepen our understanding of the intricate relationship between sleep and health, remarks Kebets. “Sleep is fundamentally linked to overall well-being and interrelates with cognition, physical and mental health, and substance use—affecting many areas of your functionality.”
However, not all participants conformed perfectly to these defined profiles, cautions Kebets. The team found no conclusive causal links between sleep profiles and their associated traits, identifying only correlations. Moreover, a significant portion of the population may experience good-quality sleep regularly. The sample was predominantly white, indicating potential oversights of sleep profiles present in various ethnic backgrounds.
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