Title The relationship between sleep and autonomic health.
Author Oliver, Michael D; Baldwin, Debora R; Datta, Subimal
Journal J Am Coll Health Publication Year/Month 2020-Jul
PMID 30856085 PMCID PMC7278032
Affiliation + expend 1.Department of Psychology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

Objective: To examine the relationship between sleep and resting autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning in college students. Participants: Participants were 141 undergraduate students (52 males) recruited from a large southeastern university during September-October 2017. Methods: Participants completed self-report inventories (demographic and sleep characteristics). Resting state skin conductance (SC) and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured in a laboratory setting for ANS functioning. Results: SC was positively associated with sleep quality (p = 0.027), sleep latency (p = 0.040), and use of sleep medication (p < 0.001). Analyses yielded a negative association between the standard deviation of the normal-normal interval of heart beats (SDNN) and the self-reported amount of time to fall asleep each night (p = 0.041). Sleep efficiency was negatively correlated with low frequency HRV (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Sleep components are associated with resting ANS activity, and targeted interventions focused on improved ANS functioning may benefit sleep quality in college students.

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