Page 88 - JCBP-3-2

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Impact of sleep on psychosomatic health

that profile its special roles in human physiology. various other organ systems and physiological processes
Physiological sleep is divided into two broad phases: throughout the body. On the nervous system, acute sleep
rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM deprivation produces irritability, loss of concentration,
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(NREM) sleep. REM sleep is also called “paradoxical mental fatigue, and dysthymia, while chronic sleep
sleep” because it is characterized by desynchronized deprivation has proapoptotic effects, predisposing the
electroencephalographic activity, similar to wakefulness. body to neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. In
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During this phase of sleep, the heart and respiratory rates other systems, chronic sleep deprivation is associated with
become irregular and there is an increase in intrinsic cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, weight
sympathetic activity. Muscle tone is significantly reduced, gain, and immunosuppression. 16-18
and rapid, jerky eye movements (known as saccades) are Psychosomatic medicine, in a broad sense, is a medical
observed, which is how this stage gets its name—REM approach that uses the biopsychosocial model to explain
sleep. In addition, REM sleep plays a critical role in human pathologies and takes into account both organic
the formation of motor and cognitive learning patterns and psychological factors to explain the etiology, course,
at the cortical level. NREM sleep, subclassified into and treatment of diseases. This holistic approach, which
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four other stages according to brain wave appearance takes into account different aspects of patients’ lives,
(stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and stage 4), is a form of represents the school of thought of modern medicine,
sleep in which brain electrical activity is synchronous, which emphasizes both the length and quality of patients’
with low frequency and high amplitude. It represents lives. This way of thinking has been criticized throughout
the period of sleep that involves the lowest neuronal its development, with arguments regarding the fact that
energy consumption and plays a role in recovery and psychological factors have a minor influence on the
rebalancing the interrelationships with various elements pathogenesis of different diseases or that psychological
of the central nervous system. 4,9 elements are difficult to quantify, making it impossible to
A very important phenomenon associated with sleep measure the effects of specific therapeutic interventions.
is represented by dreams, which are a form of biological However, most diseases require a multidisciplinary
manifestation of fears, desires, and conflicts from the approach to pathology, and psychosomatic medicine is
psychic universe. They are classically associated with REM now in a state of continuous development. In a narrow
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sleep but can occur in any sleep phase. However, dreams sense, it is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of
during REM sleep can be recalled upon awakening and are psychosomatic disorders, which are organic pathologies
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characterized by a significant psycho-emotional load. The of all organ systems and on which the influence of the
link between dreams during REM sleep, their character, psyche plays a decisive role, with important diagnostic
and the ability to recall them in relation to psychosomatic and prognostic implications. 20,21 Psychosomatic illnesses
pathology is a crucial one because dreams represent one are organic diseases in which patients manifest somatic
of the main mechanisms through which the human body symptoms characteristic of different organ systems,
can discharge the psychic energy accumulated during the symptoms that arise and are exacerbated by psychological
day. If dreams cannot manifest themselves, or manifest factors (stress, anxiety, previous psychological trauma).
themselves in a pathological way, this psychic energy Psychosomatic diseases have a pre-existing organic
can cause the appearance of psychosomatic symptoms background – provable by laboratory, imaging, or
in different organs or even the decompensation of pre- histopathologic investigations – unlike psychiatric diseases,
existing pathologies. which are diseases that affect the various higher mental
Sleep deprivation refers to short duration or poor functions (thinking, memory, attention, perception,
quality of sleep, which has a negative effect on alertness, perception, language, or executive functions) and have no
cognitive abilities, and overall health. It may be acute identifiable organic cause.
or chronic depending on the time interval over which Based on all these preliminary data, the present paper
it is present and may not only occur in different clinical aims to address and answer the following questions:
contexts, such as sleep pathologies, psychiatric disorders, whether there is any connection between sleep, either
or chronic diseases (e.g., chronic kidney disease) but also physiologic or pathologic (in terms of duration, as in
appears as an adverse effect of some medications. 11-13 Sleep sleep deprivation and hypersomnia, as well as in terms
deprivation exerts a wide range of effects on the human of quality and structure, as in neurologic or other organ
body, both in the short term and over the long term. These system pathologies that alter sleep architecture and the
effects not only impair the functioning of the nervous percentage duration of REM sleep during the night), and
system but also have detrimental consequences for the psychosomatic disorders; whether in the case of this

Volume 3 Issue 2 (2025) 82 doi: 10.36922/jcbp.4997