Search

Summary: This study examined the role of sleep disturbances and insomnia in the context of stress reactivity in adolescence. One‐hundred and thirty‐five 11–18 year olds (Mage = 14.2 years, SD = 1.9, 52% female) completed the Trier Social Stress Test for Children. Salivary cortisol and subjective stress ratings were collected at six time points, and heart rate as well as heart rate variability were measured pre‐, during and post‐stress induction. Additionally, sleep disturbances and insomnia diagnosis were assessed by a self‐report questionnaire and a sleep interview. Robust mixed models investigated if adolescents with compared with adolescents without (a) sleep disturbances and (b) insomnia differ regarding cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability and psychological stress reactivity considering gender effects. The results indicated that boys with high sleep disturbances showed higher cortisol activity compared with boys with low sleep disturbances, B = 0.88, p < 0.05. Moreover, in boys with insomnia, heart rate and alpha 1 significantly differ less than in boys without insomnia. These findings support the notion of sex differences regarding the association between poor sleep and increased activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and a less adaptable autonomic nervous system in boys in response to an experimental social stress task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is still little research on the association between COVID‐19‐related stress and insufficient sleep. As distress is assumed to be high in these times, the role of personal resources becomes more important. The current study aimed to investigate the predictive role of COVID‐19‐related stress, positive affect, and self‐care behavior for subjective sleep quality and sleep change measures since the outbreak of COVID‐19 in Germany. A sample of 991 adults (M = 34.11 years; SD = 12.99) answered questionnaires during the first lockdown period in Germany and afterward (between April 1 and June 5, 2020). A higher stress level predicted lower sleep quality and more negative changes in overall sleep and pre‐sleep arousal. Higher levels of positive affect and self‐care predicted higher sleep quality and more positive changes in sleep. Analyses showed a moderation of positive affect on the association between stress and change in pre‐sleep arousal. The improvement in personal resources, especially positive affect, in times of high stress seems relevant to overcome sleep problems. Future research should include objective measurements of sleep and longitudinal designs to uncover causal directions of effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]