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The association of sleep disturbances with endocrine and perceived stress reactivity measures in male employees
Author(s) -
Jackowska Marta,
Fuchs Reinhard,
Klaperski Sandra
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/bjop.12250
Subject(s) - trier social stress test , reactivity (psychology) , psychology , chronic stress , sleep (system call) , stress measures , medicine , endocrine system , body mass index , stress (linguistics) , clinical psychology , endocrinology , fight or flight response , hormone , chemistry , biochemistry , linguistics , alternative medicine , philosophy , pathology , neuroscience , computer science , gene , operating system
Evidence on the relationship between stress reactivity and sleep is conflicting. This study examined the association between disturbed sleep and perceived and endocrine stress reactivity independently of age, body mass index ( BMI ), and chronic stress. One hundred and twenty middle‐aged men were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale were used to assess sleep and perceived stress reactivity, respectively. Endocrine stress reactivity was examined by assessing salivary cortisol levels. Regression analyses showed that men with disturbed sleep had blunted overall cortisol responses ( b = −18.246, p = .044), but the association did not survive adjustment for age, BMI , and chronic stress. In contrast, poor sleep was associated with heightened perceived stress reactivity independently of age and BMI ( b = 0.235, p = .005), but additional adjustment for chronic stress attenuated the relationship and only chronic stress remained a significant predictor of perceived stress reactivity ( b = 0.470, p < .001). Cortisol and perceived stress reactivity were uncorrelated. In summary, our study indicates associations between sleep disturbances and stress reactivity were not independent of BMI and chronic stress levels, and endocrine and perceived stress reactivity were dissociated.