Abstract
BackgroundInteroception is mental awareness, recognition and acknowledgement of physiological body signals. Understanding the role of sleep and interoception may provide a better understanding surrounding the sleep-health connection. Our primary objective was to examine the potential relationships between subjective sleep quality and multiple dimensions of interoceptive abilities in a large sample of young adults, a group who are vulnerable to sleep impairment and its widespread health consequences.MethodsWe conducted an online cross-sectional survey targeting young adults, aged 18–25 years. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to identify subjective sleep quality and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Version 2 was used to assess eight domains of interoception. We conducted a series of Spearman’s bivariate correlations to assess the relationships between global sleep quality as well as the seven PSQI sub-components in relation to the eight interoception outcomes. We then conducted quantile regression to assess if global PSQI score was an independent predictor of interoception. Participants (n = 609) consented and provided data.ResultsAfter adjustment, the global PSQI was a significant predictor of ‘Non-Distracting’, ‘Emotional Awareness’ and ‘Trusting’, where β = − 0.10 (95% CI: − 0.14, − 0.07), β = 0.05 (0.01, 0.09), and β = − 0.10 (− 0.14, − 0.05), respectively.ConclusionsOur findings reveal a small, significant relationship between sleep quality and interoceptive abilities amongst young adults. Sleep impairment may inhibit interoceptive skills, thus adding value to the mechanistic explanation of the sleep-health relationship. Experimental and prospective studies are needed to determine temporal associations.
Highlights
Interoception is mental awareness, recognition and acknowledgement of physiological body signals
Global sleep quality was significantly and positively correlated with two of the eight scales: ‘Noticing’, and ‘Emotional Awareness’. It was significantly and negatively correlated with ‘Non-Distracting’ and ‘Trusting’. These four aspects of interoception were found to be significantly correlated with some other Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) components such as sleep duration, daytime dysfunction, sleep quality and sleep disturbance
We investigated the possible relationships between subjective sleep quality and multiple dimensions of interoception in a large sample of young adults
Summary
Interoception is mental awareness, recognition and acknowledgement of physiological body signals. To appreciate the role of sleep pertaining to health, it is important to understand the physiological mechanisms involved These have started to be clarified, enabling a deeper mechanistic understanding. Adverse metabolic effects have been documented along with overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system in experimental sleep manipulation studies linking sleep alterations to type 2 diabetes [7]. These physiological mechanistic explanations are undoubtedly beneficial, psychological factors are likely to play a critical role [8]. Recognition and acknowledgement of physiological signals, known as interoception, may enhance these mechanistic explanations and could be key to better understanding the intricate relationships between sleep and health
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