Sleep in Bipolar Disorders

Abstract

Sleep disorders are ubiquitous across all phases of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD). Symptoms involving sleep are seen across all age group of patients presenting with BPAD. Sleep disorders are seen in manic, depressive as well as in the inter-episodic euthymic period. Sleep and affective symptoms show a bidirectional relationship; as sleep symptoms are often considered to be causative of affective dysregulation, leading to the warning signs of impending affective episodes. On the other hand, sleep symptoms are often among the most prominent initial symptoms in any affective symptoms. The management of sleep disorders in BPAD is riddled with unique challenges. Appropriate choice of investigations is very important for a precise diagnosis. The treatment involves both non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches. Both the approaches are mostly used to complement each other.