Stress of life events and anxiety as mediators of the association between insomnia and triglycerides in college students

Abstract

Purpose This study examined interrelationships among insomnia, stress, anxiety, and metabolic risk factors. Methods: A total of 124 college students were included in the analysis (age = 21 ± 1 years). Insomnia, stress of life events, and anxiety were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Fasting blood samples were assayed for glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol). Results: Insomnia was positively associated with stress of life events (β = 0.28, p < .001) and anxiety (β = 0.46, p < .001). Insomnia was related to elevated fasting insulin (β = 0.12, p = .04) and triglyceride level (β = 1.85, p < .001). An inverse association was found between insomnia and HDL-cholesterol (β = −0.45, p = .03). Sobel's test for mediation showed that stress of life events (p = .020) and anxiety (p = .013) mediated the relationship between insomnia and hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusions: Reducing stress and anxiety among college students with insomnia may influence subsequent cardiovascular health.