The Relationship of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors to Sleep Disturbance: a Review of Recent Findings

Abstract

Sleep disturbance has emerged as a significant factor in the development and course of psychopathology. Its cross-cutting nature, demonstrated impact on co-occurring disorders, and the presence of efficacious interventions to address it, make sleep a desirable treatment target among individuals suffering from various mental and physical health disorders. In the past several years, researchers and clinicians alike have come to appreciate the role that sleep disturbance plays in the development and course of suicidal thought and behavior. The present review synthesizes the sleep and suicide literature published since 2012. A search of the PubMed and psycINFO databases yielded 41 articles that were appropriate for the present review. Consistent with prior reviews, sleep disturbance, insomnia, and nightmares were, overall, positively associated with suicidal thought and behavior. Future studies should seek to expand current lines of research in the sleep and suicide arena beyond global constructs and into investigations of mechanism.