Date
4-10-2021
Location
Online
Description
Stress is a known contributor to immune system suppression associated with higher illness susceptibility, including acute infectious respiratory illness or the common cold. Sleep quality is an additional mechanism that may underlie the association between stress and cold symptomatology. Although the associations between stress and sleep and cold symptomatology have been examined separately, little is known about the mechanistic role of sleep in these associations. The present study fills that void by examining archival data from the Common Cold Project (Pittsburgh Cold Study 3). The results indicate sleep quality surfaced as an indirect pathway linking stress to changes in cold severity. Additionally, better sleep was associated with greater changes in cold severity above perceived stress. These findings suggest that better sleep may be associated with less severe symptomatology. Future research should address mechanisms underlying the associations between stress, sleep, and cold symptomatology.
Presentation Type
Poster
Transcript of Presentation
Sleep Quality: A Mediator in the Pathway of Stress and Cold Symptom Severity
Online
Stress is a known contributor to immune system suppression associated with higher illness susceptibility, including acute infectious respiratory illness or the common cold. Sleep quality is an additional mechanism that may underlie the association between stress and cold symptomatology. Although the associations between stress and sleep and cold symptomatology have been examined separately, little is known about the mechanistic role of sleep in these associations. The present study fills that void by examining archival data from the Common Cold Project (Pittsburgh Cold Study 3). The results indicate sleep quality surfaced as an indirect pathway linking stress to changes in cold severity. Additionally, better sleep was associated with greater changes in cold severity above perceived stress. These findings suggest that better sleep may be associated with less severe symptomatology. Future research should address mechanisms underlying the associations between stress, sleep, and cold symptomatology.