Poor sleep ‘can contribute to schizophrenia symptoms’

Disturbed sleep can increase a person's risk of suffering schizophrenia symptoms, according to a new study.

Neuroscientists from the University of Bristol, the Lilly Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and the Medical Research Council have carried out a study showing sleep disruption can cause a desynchronisation of the waves of activity which normally travel from the front to the back of the brain during deep sleep.

This can affect mood, concentration and stress levels, while in extreme cases prolonged sleep deprivation can induce hallucinations, memory loss and confusion – all symptoms associated with schizophrenia.

Dr Ullrich Bartsch, one of the study's researchers, said: "Sleep disturbances are well-documented in the disease, though often regarded as side effects and poorly understood in terms of their potential to actually trigger its symptoms."

Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious mental health conditions, with the 2000 National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity in the UK finding that five in 1,000 people experienced a psychotic disorder, including schizophrenia and manic depression.