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ABSTRACT: Objective
Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress has been associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). However, interstudy variability in this relationship suggests the presence of moderating factors. The current study aimed to test the hypothesis that poor nocturnal sleep, defined as short total sleep time or low slow-wave sleep, would moderate the relationship between cardiovascular reactivity and IMT.Methods
Participants (N = 99, 65.7% female, age = 59.3 ± 9.3 years) completed a two-night laboratory sleep study and cardiovascular examination where sleep and IMT were measured. The multisource interference task was used to induce acute psychological stress, while systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. Moderation was tested using the PROCESS framework in SPSS.Results
Slow-wave sleep significantly moderated the relationship between all cardiovascular stress reactivity variables and IMT (all pinteraction ≤ .048, all ΔRinteraction ≥ .027). Greater stress reactivity was associated with higher IMT values in the low slow-wave sleep group and lower IMT values in the high slow-wave sleep group. No moderating effects of total sleep time were observed.Conclusions
The results provide evidence that nocturnal slow-wave sleep moderates the relationship between cardiovascular stress reactivity and IMT and may buffer the effect of daytime stress-related disease processes.
SUBMITTER: Brindle RC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5878122 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Brindle Ryan C RC Duggan Katherine A KA Cribbet Matthew R MR Kline Christopher E CE Krafty Robert T RT Thayer Julian F JF Mulukutla Suresh R SR Hall Martica H MH
Psychosomatic medicine 20180401 3
<h4>Objective</h4>Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress has been associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). However, interstudy variability in this relationship suggests the presence of moderating factors. The current study aimed to test the hypothesis that poor nocturnal sleep, defined as short total sleep time or low slow-wave sleep, would moderate the relationship between cardiovascular reactivity and IMT.<h4>Methods</h4>Participants (N = 99, ...[more]