Effects of Sleep Reactivity on Sleep Macro-Structure, Orderliness, and Cortisol After Stress: A Preliminary Study in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate changes and links of stress and high sleep reactivity (H-SR) on the macro-structure and orderliness of sleep and cortisol levels in good sleepers (GS).

Patients and Methods

Sixty-two GS (18–40 years old) were recruited, with 32 in the stress group and 30 in the control group. Each group was further divided into H-SR and low SR subgroups based on the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test. All participants completed two nights of polysomnography in a sleep laboratory. Before conducting polysomnography on the second night, the stress group completed the Trier Social Stress Test and saliva was collected.

Results

The duration of NREM sleep stages 1, 2 (N1, N2) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM) decreased, and the values of approximate entropy, sample entropy, fuzzy entropy, and multiscale entropy increased under stress and SR effects. Stress increased rapid eye movement density, and H-SR increased cortisol reactivity.

Conclusion

Stress can damage the sleep and increase cortisol release in GS, especially those with H-SR. N1, N2 and REM sleep are more easily affected, while NREM sleep stage 3 sleep is relatively stable.

Keywords:

• cortisol
• entropy
• insomnia
• polysomnography
• sleep reactivity
• stress

Data Sharing Statement

Due to ethical restrictions related to protecting patient privacy, data cannot be made publicly available.

Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

All participants signed provided written informed consent and received appropriate subsidies. This study was approved by the Clinical Trial Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University (KYXM-202108-005). This study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the volunteers who participated in this study.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.