Trait positive affect buffers the association between experimental sleep disruption and inflammation

Area of Science:

• Psychoneuroimmunology
• Sleep Science
• Inflammation Research

Background:

• Sleep disturbances and insufficient sleep are common, often leading to increased inflammation.
• Both clinical sleep disorders and experimental sleep deprivation are linked to heightened inflammatory markers.
• Positive affect (PA) is known to reduce inflammation and buffer stress effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if high trait positive affect (PA) protects individuals from inflammatory responses to sleep disruption.
• To examine the role of PA in modulating cellular inflammation following experimental sleep loss.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, within-subjects crossover experiment was conducted with 79 healthy adults.
• Participants underwent two nights of sleep disruption and two nights of uninterrupted sleep.
• Stimulated monocytic production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured using flow cytometry.

Main Results:

• Positive affect (PA) significantly moderated the association between sleep condition and IL-6 production.
• Individuals high in PA showed blunted inflammatory responses to sleep disruption compared to those low in PA.
• Similar, though marginally significant, effects were observed for TNF production.

Conclusions:

• Cellular inflammation triggered by sleep disruption is buffered by positive affect (PA), irrespective of negative affect.
• Promoting PA could offer protection against inflammatory activation from sleep loss.
• Interventions targeting PA may help mitigate adverse health consequences of sleep disturbances.