Sex differences in sleep architecture among patients with severe mental disorders: a polysomnographic study.
- 1Peking University HuiLongGuan Clinical Medical School, Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
- 2Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao, China.
- 3The Second People's Hospital of Lishui, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Wenzhou, China.
Abstract
Background
Sleep disturbances are common in severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Yet sex-specific sleep patterns across schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder remain poorly characterized.Methods
In this cross-sectional study, we compared overnight polysomnography between 372 first-episode patients (aged 18-45) (93 schizophrenia, 181 major depressive disorder, 98 bipolar disorder). All participants underwent a single-night 10-channel polysomnography.Results
After controlling for age, illness duration, BMI, and medications, women achieved significantly longer total sleep time (median 449.3 vs 420.3 min; p <0.001), time in bed (543.0 vs 525.5 min; p = 0.03), and higher sleep efficiency (83.3% vs 82.3%; p = 0.004) than men. Exploratory post-hoc analyses revealed potential sex-related differences in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (all p < 0.05, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). However, these findings did not survive correction for multiple comparisons, indicating that the observed differences should be interpreted with caution as preliminary.Conclusions
This study found that biological sex modulated sleep macro-architecture in severe mental illness, with women exhibiting longer sleep duration and higher sleep efficiency relative to men. Although the cross-diagnosis comparison revealed only a marginally significant sex-by-diagnosis interaction that did not persist after multiple testing correction, these exploratory subgroup findings suggest potential nuanced variations in sleep architecture. Consequently, future studies with larger cohorts are warranted to evaluate whether sex-stratified approaches could refine clinical sleep interventions across psychiatric conditions.
Related
- Development and evaluation effectiveness of interprofessional service package for promoting social participation of patients with Severe Mental Disorders (BARAMA): A protocol for mixed methods study.
- Cluster-based Cognitive Profiles and Their Relationship with Neurofilament Light Chain in Patients with Severe Mental Disorders of the Elderly
- EEG-defined differences in functional networks following beta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation in patients with disorders of consciousness: a pilot study.
- Differences in sepsis from skin and soft tissue infections among patients with vs. without mental health disorders
- Changes in sleep disturbances and quality of life associated with Istradefylline in patients with Parkinson's disease: an exploratory polysomnographic study.
BibTeX
@article{lan2026differences,
title = {{Sex differences in sleep architecture among patients with severe mental disorders: a polysomnographic study.}},
author = {Zhimin Lan and Wei Lin and Meng Wang and Xiaofang Chen and Meihong Xiu and Anle Pan},
journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1876676},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908990},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sex differences in sleep architecture among patients with severe mental disorders: a polysomnographic study.
AU - Zhimin Lan
AU - Wei Lin
AU - Meng Wang
AU - Xiaofang Chen
AU - Meihong Xiu
AU - Anle Pan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1876676
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908990
AB - Background Sleep disturbances are common in severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Yet sex-specific sleep patterns across schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder remain poorly characterized.Methods In this cross-sectional study, we compared overnight polysomnography between 372 first-episode patients (aged 18-45) (93 schizophrenia, 181 major depressive disorder, 98 bipolar disorder). All participants underwent a single-night 10-channel polysomnography.Results After controlling for age, illness duration, BMI, and medications, women achieved significantly longer total sleep time (median 449.3 vs 420.3 min; p <0.001), time in bed (543.0 vs 525.5 min; p = 0.03), and higher sleep efficiency (83.3% vs 82.3%; p = 0.004) than men. Exploratory post-hoc analyses revealed potential sex-related differences in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (all p < 0.05, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). However, these findings did not survive correction for multiple comparisons, indicating that the observed differences should be interpreted with caution as preliminary.Conclusions This study found that biological sex modulated sleep macro-architecture in severe mental illness, with women exhibiting longer sleep duration and higher sleep efficiency relative to men. Although the cross-diagnosis comparison revealed only a marginally significant sex-by-diagnosis interaction that did not persist after multiple testing correction, these exploratory subgroup findings suggest potential nuanced variations in sleep architecture. Consequently, future studies with larger cohorts are warranted to evaluate whether sex-stratified approaches could refine clinical sleep interventions across psychiatric conditions.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -