Optimism and Sleep in Aging Women: Bidirectional Relationships

Overview

Journal Psychosom Med

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2024 Jan 9

PMID 38193773

Authors

Addison D Monroe

Stephanie T Judge

Chelsea L Bass

Leslie J Crofford

Suzanne C Segerstrom

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Sleep quality and duration are important for biological restoration and promotion of psychological well-being. Optimism may facilitate or result from sufficient sleep, but questions remain as to directionality. The present study tested how optimism is associated with levels of and variability in sleep quantity and quality in a longitudinal burst design.

Methods: Midlife and older women ( N = 199) reported their sleep quantity and quality in online diaries for a 7-day period, every 3 months for 2 years. Optimism was measured at baseline and end-of-study. Multilevel models tested the effects of optimism on sleep. Linear regression models tested the effect of sleep on optimism.

Results: Baseline optimism was associated with higher sleep quality ( γ = 2.13 [1.16 to 3.11], p < .0001) and lower intraindividual variability (IIV; night-to-night and wave-to-wave) in sleep quantity (night-to-night: γ = -0.07 [-0.13 to -0.005], p = .03; wave-to-wave: b = -0.07 [-0.12 to -0.02], p = .003). In turn, higher average sleep quality (but not quantity) was associated with higher optimism at end-of-study ( b = 0.02 [0.007 to 0.03], p = .002). Variability in sleep was unrelated to optimism.

Conclusions: Optimism may play an important role in maintaining sleep quality and consistency in sleep quantity, perhaps by buffering stress. Similarly, sleep quality may play an important role in maintaining optimism. The cycle whereby optimism and sleep enhance one another could improve physical health and psychological well-being among aging adults.

References

Leger K, Blevins T, Crofford L, Segerstrom S . Mean Levels and Variability in Psychological Well-Being and Associations With Sleep in Midlife and Older Women. Ann Behav Med. 2020; 55(5):436-445. PMC: 8427537. DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa069. View

Robles T, Carroll J . Restorative biological processes and health. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. 2011; 5(8):518-537. PMC: 3171702. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00368.x. View

Haack M, Mullington J . Sustained sleep restriction reduces emotional and physical well-being. Pain. 2005; 119(1-3):56-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2005.09.011. View

Roberts B, Walton K, Viechtbauer W . Patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course: a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychol Bull. 2006; 132(1):1-25. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.1.1. View

Uchino B, Cribbet M, de Grey R, Cronan S, Trettevik R, Smith T . Dispositional optimism and sleep quality: a test of mediating pathways. J Behav Med. 2016; 40(2):360-365. PMC: 5334440. DOI: 10.1007/s10865-016-9792-0. View

Patel S, Blackwell T, Redline S, Ancoli-Israel S, Cauley J, Hillier T . The association between sleep duration and obesity in older adults. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008; 32(12):1825-34. PMC: 2605208. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2008.198. View

Jehan S, Masters-Isarilov A, Salifu I, Zizi F, Jean-Louis G, Pandi-Perumal S . Sleep Disorders in Postmenopausal Women. J Sleep Disord Ther. 2015; 4(5). PMC: 4621258. View

Kim J, Elkhadem A, Duffy J . Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders in Older Adults. Sleep Med Clin. 2022; 17(2):241-252. PMC: 9181175. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2022.02.003. View

Yang T, Matthews S, Chen V . Stochastic variability in stress, sleep duration, and sleep quality across the distribution of body mass index: insights from quantile regression. Int J Behav Med. 2013; 21(2):282-91. PMC: 3851937. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-013-9293-2. View

10.

Slavish D, Taylor D, Lichstein K . Intraindividual variability in sleep and comorbid medical and mental health conditions. Sleep. 2019; 42(6). PMC: 6559172. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsz052. View

11.

Segerstrom S . Optimism and Resources: Effects on Each Other and on Health over 10 Years. J Res Pers. 2013; 41(4). PMC: 3861054. DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2006.09.004. View

12.

Patel D, Steinberg J, Patel P . Insomnia in the Elderly: A Review. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018; 14(6):1017-1024. PMC: 5991956. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.7172. View

13.

Seow L, Tan X, Chong S, Vaingankar J, Abdin E, Shafie S . Independent and combined associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with common physical and mental disorders: Results from a multi-ethnic population-based study. PLoS One. 2020; 15(7):e0235816. PMC: 7365445. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235816. View

14.

Hernandez R, Bassett S, Boughton S, Schuette S, Shiu E, Moskowitz J . Psychological Well-being and Physical Health: Associations, Mechanisms, and Future Directions. Emot Rev. 2023; 10(1):18-29. PMC: 9841922. DOI: 10.1177/1754073917697824. View

15.

Buysse D, Reynolds 3rd C, Monk T, BERMAN S, Kupfer D . The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989; 28(2):193-213. DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4. View

16.

Johnston S, Landis C, Lentz M, Shaver J . Self-reported nap behavior and polysomnography at home in midlife women with and without insomnia. Sleep. 2002; 24(8):913-9. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/24.8.913. View

17.

Kravitz H, Joffe H . Sleep during the perimenopause: a SWAN story. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011; 38(3):567-86. PMC: 3185248. DOI: 10.1016/j.ogc.2011.06.002. View

18.

Scheier M, Carver C, Bridges M . Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): a reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1994; 67(6):1063-78. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.67.6.1063. View

19.

Foley D, Ancoli-Israel S, Britz P, Walsh J . Sleep disturbances and chronic disease in older adults: results of the 2003 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Survey. J Psychosom Res. 2004; 56(5):497-502. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2004.02.010. View

20.

Antunez J, Navarro J, Adan A . Circadian typology is related to resilience and optimism in healthy adults. Chronobiol Int. 2015; 32(4):524-30. DOI: 10.3109/07420528.2015.1008700. View