Testing Bidirectional Within-Person Associations between Mindful Attention and Sleep in Adolescence

Developments during adolescence increase risk for sleep problems. Research in adults suggests mindfulness and sleep are associated, with two different theoretical explanations for direction of effects. Our goal was to directly test these competing theoretical models at the daily level in adolescents using objective and self-reported measurements of sleep. Adolescents (N=138; 14-21yrs) reported mindful attention and sleep for a week, while wearing an actigraph. Results indicated that, within-person, poor sleep at night predicted less mindful attention the next day; however, mindful attention during the day did not predict sleep that night. These findings provide support for the developmental model of sleep and regulation and suggest poor sleep may impair regulatory abilities the following day.