Sleep disturbance and older adults' inflammatory responses to acute stress.
OBJECTIVE
Poor sleep diminishes mental and physical health. The objective of this study was to examine associations between sleep disturbance and interleukin-6 (IL-6) responses to acute mental stress in older adults.


METHODS
Observational study of community-dwelling, healthy older adults.


METHODS
Participants completed the study in a clinical research laboratory of a mid-sized university.


METHODS
Generally healthy, community-dwelling men and women age 50 and older.


METHODS
IL-6 and negative affect at rest and following a series of challenging cognitive tests; sleep quality; depressive symptoms; perceived stress; loneliness.


RESULTS
Participants categorized as poor sleepers on the basis of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores had significantly larger IL-6 responses to the cognitive stressors than good sleepers. The association between poor sleep and heightened IL-6 response to acute stress was not explained by other psychosocial factors previously linked to immune dysregulation, including depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and loneliness.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings add to the growing evidence for poor sleep as an independent risk factor for poor mental and physical health. Older adults may be particularly vulnerable to effects of sleep disturbance due to significant age-related changes in both sleep and inflammatory regulation.
The Rochester Center for Mind-Body Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. Kathi_Heffner@urmc.rochester.edu
Kathi L
KL
Heffner
H Mei
HM
Ng
Julie A
JA
Suhr
Christopher R
CR
France
Gailen D
GD
Marshall
Wilfred R
WR
Pigeon
Jan A
JA
Moynihan
D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016014:Linear Models; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D057566:Self Report; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*
D015850:Interleukin-6