Poor sleep can be a risk factor for developing complex sadness after a loss

Those with persistent sleep difficulty may have a particularly difficult sleep process after the death of a loved one, a new study co-authored with a researcher from the University of Arizona found.

Most people who lose a close friend or family member experience sleep problems as part of the grief process, as the body and mind react to the stress of the event, said study co-author Mary- Frances O’Connor, professor in the UArizona Department of Psychology.

But O’Connor and her colleagues found that those who had persistent sleep challenges before losing someone were at greater risk for developing complex grief after a loss. Complex grief is marked by a year for a lost person so intense and enduring that it disturbs a person’s daily activity. It occurs in 7-10% of lost people, O’Connor said.

“We know, for many people, that the death of a loved one is followed by a sleep disturbance – it’s no surprise, given how helpful it is to lose a loved one,” O’Connor said. , which manages Grief, Loss and the university ‘s Social Stress Laboratory. “We also know that people with chronic anxiety disorder have chronic sleep problems. That made us ask: What if the reverse is possible? Could it be that people who have experienced a sleep disturbance and then experience death are more likely to develop complex grief? “

O’Connor and her colleagues at the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands and the Phoenix VA Health Care System looked at data from a heterosexual Rotterdam Study, which followed a group of middle-aged and older adults over time and looked at it. various aspects of their work physical and mental health.

Study participants were asked, among other things, to keep sleep diaries reporting on the quality of sleep. They have also been asked to wear a watch monitor, called an actigraph, which reasonably measures how long it takes a person to fall asleep, how often a person wakes up during the night and what the time he spends in bed awake against sleep.

In addition, interview participants were asked if they were still mourning the loss of someone who died a few months or years ago, and conducted follow-up assessments of their grief symptoms.

The researchers compared the initial responses of study participants to what they said about six years later, focusing specifically on participants who missed the loss of a loved one between the first interview and the review.

What we’ve seen is that if you had sleep disturbances the first time – both goal and self-reported – you were more likely to be in the complex grief group than the uncomplicated grief group at the second time. Thus, poor sleep may not only be accompanied by grief but also be a risk factor for developing complex sadness after a loss. “

Mary-Frances O’Connor, Professor, Department of Psychology UArizona

The researchers’ findings are published in the Journal of Psychological Research.

Sleep is essential for both physical and mental health, which is probably why it affects the sleep process, O’Connor said.

“We know that sleep is important for coping with emotional events that happen during the day,” she said. “Sleep also helps us to relax and restore our physical body, and sadness is an awful experience for the body. Perhaps being able to relax and rejuvenate can help us wake up the next day a little more physically prepared to deal with the sadness. “

O’Connor says temporary sleep disturbances before a loved one dies – such as sleep deprivation under stress while caring for a sick family member – are not a major cause for concern. The main concern is the issue of persistent sleep deprivation, which is more likely to put a person at risk for complex grief.

O’Connor urges health care and other support professionals to consider sleep history when treating a distressed person.

“Because grief is such a confusing and traumatic event, doctors often forget, I think, to ask about history when considering intervention, rather than just about what going on at this intense time, “she said.” When doctors and the help professions are working with bereaved people, they should ask about the history of sleep problems they may have had, and not just what sleep problems they have right now. “