Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 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
Bi-directional associations between psychological arousal, cortisol, and sleep
Anne Helene Garde1, Karen Albertsen, Roger Persson
1National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark. ahg@nrcwe.dk
Abstract:
The aim was to elucidate the possible bi-directional relation between daytime psychological arousal, cortisol, and self-reported sleep in a group of healthy employees in active employment. Logbook ratings of sleep (Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire), stress, and energy, as well as positive and negative experiences in work and private life, were collected together with salivary cortisol over 3 days (n = 265). Higher bedtime ratings of stress and problems during the day were associated with morning ratings of poor sleep. Poorer morning ratings of sleep were associated with higher ratings of stress and problems during the day. The results underpin the possibility that arousal and poor sleep might create a self-reinforcing vicious circle that negatively affects a person's well-being.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Primary Motives: Sleep, Sex, and Pain Avoidance
Sleep is a fundamental physiological drive that fosters a state of restfulness crucial for several bodily functions. It facilitates body restoration, the process by which the body repairs, rejuvenates, and maintains itself during sleep, including memory...
The Influence of Cognition on Affect
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology

