Abstract Introduction Self-regulation is an important basic and multidimensional behavioral mechanism that is influenced by sleep. In experimental studies, conditions of acute sleep deprivation have been shown to negatively impact multiple dimensions of self-regulation (e.g., cognitive regulation, behavioral regulation, and emotion regulation). How these processes work in an ecological and real-world setting, and with marginalized populations, remains unknown. Emerging evidence suggests that trauma exposure may contribute to poor sleep outcomes and disrupt one’s ability to self-regulate. Our aim was to examine the relationships between sleep and multiple dimensions of self-regulation (i.e., cognitive and behavioral self-regulation), and the extent to which these relationships were moderated by trauma in Latine adults. Methods We analyzed data from an intensive 40-day longitudinal study. Sleep duration and sleep efficiency were measured via wrist-actigraphy. Cognitive self-regulation was measured daily using an app-based Stroop Color-Word Interference test (Lumosity). Behavioral self-regulation was measured via self-report using a modified Brief Self-Control Scale, which assesses control over thoughts, emotions, impulses, and habits. Lifetime exposure to trauma was measured using the Life Events Checklist, and PTSD severity was measured using the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist. We assessed the bi-directional association between sleep and self-regulation using lagged linear random-intercept models to estimate both within-person effects (person-centered) and between-person effects (person mean centered around overall mean) adjusting for covariates. For models with significant main effect, we further examined interactions between the primary predictor and trauma exposure or PTSD severity. Results Participants were 59 Latine adults free from sleep disorders (mean(SD): age 36.8(11.0), years of education 15.6(4.8); 69.5% women, 66.1% immigrant, and 37.3% Spanish-speaking). Higher than usual sleep efficiency predicted higher next day behavioral self-regulation score (B=0.004, 95% CI: 0, 0.009, p 0.05). Greater than 6 hours of sleep the previous night was associated with higher next day behavioral self-regulation score (B=0.05, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.105, p 0.05). There were no statistically significant interactions between trauma and efficiency or trauma and sleep duration. Conclusion We found a uni-directional relationship in which sleep duration and sleep efficiency were associated with next-day behavioral self-regulation. Our results highlight the importance of sleep health for effective behavioral self-regulation. Support (if any) HL125748
Berry et al. (Fri,) studied this question.