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Examining the Relationship Between Worry and Sleep: A Daily Process Approach
Sarah Kate McGowan1, Evelyn Behar1, Maike Luhmann2
1University of Illinois at Chicago.
Behavior Therapy
|July 18, 2016
Summary
Daily worry significantly predicts nighttime sleep disturbance in individuals with high trait worry. However, poor sleep does not appear to increase worry the next day, suggesting a unidirectional link. Interventions did not alter this relationship.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sleep Science
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Growing evidence links worry and sleep, but daily dynamics are understudied.
- Potential relationships include unidirectional (worry to sleep, sleep to worry) or bidirectional effects.
- High trait worriers often experience significant sleep disturbance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the daily relationship between worry and sleep disturbance in high trait worriers.
- To determine if worry predicts sleep disturbance, if sleep disturbance predicts worry, or if the relationship is bidirectional.
- To assess the impact of worry-reduction interventions on this daily relationship.
Main Methods:
- A daily process approach was used with 50 high trait worriers.
- Participants completed daily reports of sleep and worry over a 7-day baseline and 14-day intervention period.
- Repeated measures multilevel modeling analyzed the data.
Main Results:
- Worry on a given day significantly predicted increased sleep disturbance that night.
- No evidence was found for sleep disturbance predicting worry the following day.
- Intervention type did not influence the daily worry-sleep relationship.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a unidirectional relationship where daily worry negatively impacts sleep quality.
- Results align with the cognitive model of insomnia, emphasizing worry's role.
- Addressing and treating worry is crucial for individuals with high trait worry and sleep issues.
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