ABSTRACT

Although sleep disturbance, particularly decreased need for sleep, is a characteristic feature of mania, there are very few systematic polysomnographic studies investigating the sleep pattern in mania. In this study it was aimed to investigate the sleep pattern in manic patients with no treatment started. Seven male patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis for a current manic episode of bipolar disorder without any drug use for at least 2 weeks were studied with respect to polysomnography for two consecutive nights. Their sleep variables were compared with 7 age- and sex- matched healthy controls. Manic patients showed decreased time in bed, decreased total sleep time and decreased sleep period time when compared to healthy controls. Despite impaired sleep continuity, there were no significant differences between the two groups regarding sleep structure (Frequency and percentage of sleep period). Compared to healthy controls, no differences were detected in manic patients with respect to the variables of slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM). These results demonstrated that total sleep time shortened in manic patients consistent with clinical features of the disorder, but there was no change in sleep structure.