Acute dissociation after 1 night of sleep loss.

Recent research has shown that dissociative symptoms are related to self-reports of deviant sleep experiences. The present study is the 1st to explore whether sleep loss can fuel dissociative symptoms. Twenty-five healthy volunteers were deprived of sleep for 1 night. Sleepiness and dissociative symptoms were assessed every 6 hr. The authors measured both spontaneous dissociative symptoms and dissociative symptoms induced by dot-staring during sensory deprivation. Sleepiness as well as spontaneous and induced dissociative symptoms were stable throughout the day but increased during the night. These findings provide further evidence for a robust relationship between disruptions in sleep patterns and dissociative symptoms.