SLEEP: Sleep Problems Linked to Later Psychological Well-Being

TUESDAY, June 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Sleep problems in middle-aged and older adults are associated with psychological well-being (PWB) nine years later, with the association stronger in women, according to a study presented at SLEEP 2026, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, held from June 14 to 17 in Baltimore.

Fumiko Hamada, from the University of South Florida in Tampa, and Monica Walters, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, examined the prospective association between sleep problems and PWB using data from 574 middle-aged and older adults who participated in the Midlife in the United States study at two time points (T1: 2005 to 2006; T2: 2013 to 2017). Participants responded to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and a 42-item PWB questionnaire.

The researchers observed a relationship for more sleep problems at T1 with lower PWB at T2 (adjusted B = −1.20). The association between sleep problems and PWB differed by sex in moderation analyses. Specifically, more sleep problems at T1 related to lower PWB more strongly for women than men in the unadjusted model (B = −3.23 versus −2.00). The association remained significant for women (B = −1.63), but not for men (B = −0.44), after adjustment for covariates.

“Sleep problems appear to have lasting negative effects on psychological well-being over nearly a decade, and these effects were more pronounced among females in our sample,” Hamada said in a statement. “This suggests that sleep may be a particularly important long-term risk factor for psychological well-being in women.”

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