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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
Published on: June 18, 2014
Poor sleep the night before an experimental stress task is associated with reduced cortisol reactivity in healthy
Caroline E Wright1, Heiddis B Valdimarsdottir, Joel Erblich
1Biobehavioral Medicine Program, Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1130, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029, USA. caroline.wright@mssm.edu
Abstract:
Sleep disruption is a growing problem that may have serious health effects. As stress-induced increases in cortisol are thought to be a key adaptive process it is important to examine how this response is affected by sleep. The current study investigated the association of four sleep parameters (objective/subjectively measured sleep quality and quantity) and subsequent salivary cortisol reactivity (maximal change from baseline) to an experimental stressor in 53 healthy women. Objective actigraphy monitoring and self-report diaries were used to assess sleep. Results revealed that individuals with lower objective sleep quality (wake percentage during sleep) had a blunted response to the experimental stressor. No associations were found between cortisol reactivity and actigraphy-derived sleep quantity, or either of the self-reported sleep variables. Results are discussed with regard to the possible adverse health effects that may result from poor sleep quality and a blunted cortisol response to stress.
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