Stress and racing thoughts disrupt sleep more in some people.
Stress disrupts sleep, but high sleep reactivity worsens the effect of racing thoughts on sleep quality.
Why it matters
- Daily stress affects everyone’s sleep.
- High sleep reactivity amplifies the impact of stress and racing thoughts on sleep.
By the numbers
- Study involved 60 university students over two weeks.
- A 10-point increase in stress was linked to 2.5 minutes less sleep.
- High-reactivity individuals had 1.2 additional minutes of wakefulness per 10-point stress increase.
The big picture
- Stress activates the mind at bedtime, making sleep difficult for everyone.
- High sleep reactivity makes racing thoughts more disruptive to maintaining sleep throughout the night.
What they're saying
- Users shared personal anecdotes about stress and sleep disruption.
- One comment linked to the peer-reviewed journal article.
Caveats
- Study sample was young, predominantly female, and of Chinese descent.
- Effects were modest in practical size.
- Excluded individuals with diagnosed sleep disorders.
What’s next
- Future research could explore these dynamics in more diverse populations.
- Therapies targeting pre-sleep cognitive arousal could help prevent chronic insomnia.