Associations between sex hormones, sleep problems and depression: A systematic review

M W L Morssinkhof; D W van Wylick; S Priester-Vink; Y D van der Werf; M den Heijer; O A van den Heuvel; B F P Broekman

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.08.006

Associations between sex hormones, sleep problems and depression: A systematic review

Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Nov:118:669-680. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.08.006. Epub 2020 Aug 31.

Authors

M W L Morssinkhof¹, D W van Wylick², S Priester-Vink³, Y D van der Werf⁴, M den Heijer⁵, O A van den Heuvel⁶, B F P Broekman⁷

Affiliations

¹ OLVG Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, P.O. Box 95500, 1090 HM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam, Department of Endocrinology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
² Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³ OLVG Hospital, Medical Library, Department of Research and Epidemiology, P.O. Box 95500, 1090 HM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁴ Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁵ Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam, Department of Endocrinology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁶ Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁷ OLVG Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, P.O. Box 95500, 1090 HM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), Singapore. Electronic address: b.f.p.broekman@olvg.nl.

PMID: 32882313
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.08.006

Abstract

Sleep problems and depression are both common and have a high impact on quality of life. They are also strongly associated and commonly occur together. During the reproductive age, both sleep problems and depression are almost twice as common in women than men. Epidemiological studies show that women experience more sleep problems and depressive symptoms around times when sex hormones change, such as puberty and menopause, but it is unclear what effect sex hormones have on sleep problems and depression. This systematic review aims to summarize and evaluate studies that investigated the relationship between sex hormones, sleep and depression. Systematic search resulted in 2895 articles, of which 13 met inclusion criteria. Depressed patients showed worse sleep than controls, but no significant difference in endogenous hormone levels was found. Additionally, higher endogenous estrogen was associated with better sleep in controls, but associations between endogenous sex hormones and depressive symptoms were inconclusive. More research on the effect of sex hormones on sleep and depression is necessary.

Keywords: Depression; Estrogen; Gonadal steroid hormones; Insomnia; Progesterone; Sleep; Systematic review; Testosterone.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Depression*
Female
Gonadal Steroid Hormones
Humans
Male
Menopause
Quality of Life
Sleep Wake Disorders* / complications

Substances

Gonadal Steroid Hormones