Stress Reactivity, Wellbeing and Functioning in University Students: A Role for Autonomic Activity During Sleep

Area of Science:

• Physiology
• Psychology
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Sleep is crucial for wellbeing and stress resilience.
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) function influences physiological responses to stress.
• Understanding the interplay between sleep, ANS, and stress is vital for mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between sleep quality, autonomic function, and stress reactivity in healthy individuals.
• To explore how cardiac autonomic activity during sleep onset and stress exposure relates to wellbeing.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 85 healthy university students.
• Collected data on demographics, lifestyle, sleep, and psychological wellbeing.
• Analyzed heart rate and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) during sleep onset and cognitive stressor tasks.

Main Results:

• Fragmented sleep correlated with lower HF HRV at sleep onset, indicating impaired autonomic de-arousal.
• Minimal HF HRV increase from wakefulness to sleep was associated with poorer sleep quality and daily functioning.
• This group exhibited greater heart rate reactivity and slower recovery following a stressor.

Conclusions:

• Poorer sleep quality is associated with autonomic hypervigilance.
• Impaired autonomic regulation during sleep may contribute to heightened stress responses.
• Findings highlight the importance of sleep for maintaining wellbeing and stress resilience.