A study finds links between sleep and social contact. Sleepiness can impair cognitive ability, motivation, and behavior. However, the effects of sleepiness on social interactions, which play an important role in health and well-being, are unclear. Benjamin Holding, John Axelsson, and colleagues conducted a study on 641 working adults in Sweden who logged their behavior every 30 minutes, filled out a sleepiness scale every 3 hours, and completed a sleep diary every morning over 3 weeks. Increased sleepiness was tied to decreases in the probability and duration of social activity, especially on days off and in the evenings. The relationship between social activity and subsequent sleepiness and sleep duration was complex and depended on the time of day. Increased social activity during the late morning and early afternoon was tied to greater sleepiness afterward. Conversely, more social activity in the evening was tied to decreased subsequent sleepiness. Social activity in the afternoon or a few hours in the evening was tied to slightly longer sleep duration the following night, whereas longer bouts of socializing in the evening were associated with a decrease in subsequent sleep duration. Together, the findings suggest that sleepiness is tied to voluntary decreases in social contact. According to the authors, uncovering factors that may interfere with social activity could help address rising rates of loneliness and social isolation.
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Article #20-04535: "Sleepiness, sleep duration, and human social activity: An investigation into bidirectionality using longitudinal time-use data," by Benjamin Holding et al.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Benjamin Holding, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SWEDEN; e-mail: benjamin.holding@ki.se ; John Axelsson, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SWEDEN; e-mail: john.axelsson@ki.se
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences