Graduation Year

2021

Date of Submission

5-2021

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Stacey N. Doan

Abstract

Sleep duration, quality, and consistency are associated with well-being and productivity. College students struggle to achieve the right balance of sleep and research demonstrates how this has severe repercussions on their physical health academic performance. The effects of sleep consistency interact with emotional regulation (ER). This observational study investigates the relationship between all three sleep characteristics and inflammation, while exploring the mediating and moderating role of ER. Participants included 138 undergraduate students (Females= 81 Males= 57). ER and sleep quality were measured through self-reported questionnaires and inflammation through blood spot analysis. Sleep consistency and duration were assessed using an Acti-Watch. In line with our hypothesis, the results show that sleep consistency is the strongest predictor of inflammation compared to sleep quality and duration. ER moderated this relationship such that higher cognitive reappraisal resulted in a stronger relationship between sleep inconsistency and inflammation. These results are consistent with newer research that states the cognitive costs associated with ER contextualized by when and how participants reappraise with regard to their emotional experience timeline. The study underscores the importance of sleep consistency, specifically for college students’ overall physical well-being and the role that ER can play to improve this relationship.

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