Insomnia increases the risk of depression in older people

 Sleep problems are one of the most visible signs of aging. While young people may wake up about five times a night, some people over 60 may wake up as many as 150 times during their sleep.

Insomnia and lack of sleep not only have consequences and can make you feel tired in the morning. Health risks also include doubling your risk of depression. In addition, depression is more common in people with chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes, which makes older people more vulnerable to depression.

Latest Research: Sleep Deprivation Makes Elderly People More Depressed!

The pathways linking depression and sleeplessness in older adults have never been better understood thanks to new research headed by UCLA School of Medicine professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences Michael Irwin, MD. According to the study, even among those who have never experienced depression, older adults who have chronic sleep deprivation have a higher risk of developing it, and their symptoms are more severe and persistent.

Recognizing the connection between depression, inflammation, and sleeplessness

Depressive symptoms are brought on by inflammation, but they disappear once the inflammation does:

Previous studies have shown that depression might be triggered by inflammation. For instance, depression symptoms may be triggered by moderate inflammation from a mild infection, but they will subside after the inflammation subsides.

Inflammation-induced depression is made worse and lasts longer by insomnia:

In a different continuing trial, 160 older individuals with and without insomnia are receiving injections of latent (inactive) microorganisms in order to trigger an inflammatory immune response and track the ensuing depressive symptoms.

Individuals exposed to this inflammation were shown to exhibit depressive symptoms, including withdrawal, sadness, and depression, but no suicide ideation.

Time it takes for symptoms to go away:

Thankfully, as previously said, the depression symptoms go away after a few hours of the inflammation being reduced, and the participants resume their regular routines; however:

• It takes around six hours for older persons without sleeplessness to get over their symptoms.
• It took almost nine hours for half of the insomniacs.

"When exposed to any inflammatory stimulus, people with insomnia are more likely to experience a more severe and prolonged depressive response because they already have chronically high levels of inflammation," explains Dr. Michael Irwin.

Useful application: How can senior citizens be protected?

Insomnia in older persons should be closely watched for infections, such as:

• Elderly people who experience sleeplessness and get an illness, like a urinary tract infection, should be closely watched for any signs of depression.
• For older persons with sleeplessness, sadness may be triggered by even small diseases, like getting a vaccination.

For whom is depression most likely to occur?

Despite the fact that the inflammation was identical in all participants, the researchers observed individual variances in the depressive symptoms they encountered. "The brain's sensitivity and its reaction to inflammation are linked to the changes in depressive mood," Dr. Irwin explains. "The causes of this variation are still being looked into."

For instance, research has indicated that women are more likely than males to experience depression; however, this does not account for the disparities when sex hormones are taken into account.

In order to create successful therapies, the researchers intend to do a thorough genetic study to determine which genes are involved in the inflammatory response and how they vary across insomnia sufferers. Additionally, they seek to determine the behavioral and biological risk factors that predispose individuals to depression and, if feasible, alter them to improve the efficacy of depression prevention.