Do you feel sleep-deprived? If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, it might be due to your outlook on life. A new study has found significant links between optimism and quality of sleep.
Evaluating optimism
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work examined more than 3,500 men and women between the ages of 32 and 51. The African American and non-Hispanic white participants were part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.
For the study, the scientists asked participants how much they agreed with 10 different statements in order to determine their optimism. Using a Likert scale of five points (ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”), the volunteers were asked how much they agreed with both positive and negative statements relating to optimism and pessimism. The scores ranged from 6 (near the pessimistic end of the scale) to 30 (with 30 being the most optimistic).
Evaluating sleep
In addition to answering questions about their outlook on life, participants were asked about the quality of their sleep once and then again 5 years later. They were also asked about how many hours of sleep they got regularly and if they had any signs of insomnia.
Some of the volunteers also:
- filled in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
- filled in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale
- wore activity monitors to measure how restless they were during sleep and how long they sleep soundly
The results
The research team found that optimists were 74% less likely to have insomnia. They were also more likely to get between 6 and 9 hours of sleep.
But why?
“Optimists are more likely to engage in active problem-focused coping and to interpret stressful events in more positive ways,” explains the study’s lead author, Dr. Rosalba Hernandez. “[This reduces] ruminative thoughts when falling asleep and throughout their sleep cycle.”
