Nightly sleep predicts next-morning expectations for stress and positive experiences

Objectives
Abundant research has linked nightly sleep as an antecedent of daily psychosocial experiences; however, less is known about sleep’s influence on daily expectations of these experiences. Therefore, this research examined the day-to-day associations of sleep quality, duration, and efficiency with next-day expectations for stress(ors) and positive experiences, as well as whether these expectations were related to end-of-day reports of physical symptoms.

Methods
In Study 1, U.S. adults (n = 354; ages 19 to 74) completed twice-daily diaries for 10 weekdays about sleep, expectations for encountering daily stressors and positive events, and physical symptoms. In Study 2, adults in Canada (n = 246; ages 25 to 87) wore a sleep watch for 14 consecutive days and completed mobile surveys 5x/day about sleep, stressfulness and pleasantness expectations, and physical symptoms.

Results
Multilevel models indicated that self-reported sleep quality and duration, but not efficiency, were associated with lower next-day expectations for stressors (Study 1) and stressfulness (Study 2). Self-reported sleep quality (Study 1) and all sleep indices (Study 2) predicted greater next-day expectations for positive events and pleasantness, respectively. For actigraphy-assessed sleep (Study 2), only longer-than-usual actigraphic sleep duration was associated with lower stressfulness expectations, whereas both sleep duration and efficiency were positively linked with daily pleasantness expectations. Only pleasantness expectations (Study 2)—but not daily stressfulness and event expectations (Study 1)—predicted end-of-day physical symptoms.

Conclusion
Findings suggest the importance of sleep on expectations of next-day stress and positive experiences, of which may have implications for daily physical health.