ABSTRACT

Aims:

Total Sleep Deprivation is a non-pharmacologic paradigm, where a person is deprived of all stages of sleep including the REM-phase. The aim of this study is to assess the mood changes of healthy individuals in terms of energy, happiness, anxiety, subjective depression during Total Sleep Deprivation.

Methods:

This prospective research is carried out in Trakya University Medical Faculty Department of Psychiatry in 2015 with 20 volunteers, of whom 17 of them succeeded to finish the study. The participants were applied Visual Analogue Scale hourly during the 36 hours long Total Sleep Deprivation phase.

Results:

After Total Sleep Deprivation, subjective depression scores were found to be higher; whereas happiness, energy scores were lower in the first 24 hours. Between approximately 24th and 32nd hours the course was reversed, as subjective depression scores decreased, while happiness, energy scores increased. However, in the last 5 hours, there was a decrease in happiness, energy scores and an increase in subjective depression scores.

Conclusion:

Although an antidepressant effect was observed in a specific time period, Total Sleep Deprivation affected the mood of healthy participants negatively.