ABSTRACT
Anger is a multi-dimensional concept ranging from feeling irritable to violent aggression. A growing body of literature suggests the relevance of sleep in regard to anger. The current study aims to review previous studies on the association between anger and diverse aspects of sleep including sleep disruption, chronotype, sleep disorders and sleep deprivation. An association between sleep and anger has been observed starting in the early stage of life, with sleep of infants or toddlers affecting emotional and behavioral aspects of anger. However, the association between anger and sleep is not clear in adolescents and might be due to the effects of psychosocial factors on both sleep and anger during adolescence. Subjective but not objective sleep disturbances of adults have been also associated with anger. Evening types showed more anger, which might be mediated by psychological characteristics or social jet lag of evening people. Increased anger has also been found in those with insomnia, sleep apnea, or experimental sleep-deprivation. Previous studies have reported that diverse sleep disturbances are related to anger. Future study assessing the various sleep or circadian indices and considering the multidimensional aspects of anger are needed.