Sleep, daily activities, and their association with mood states among emerging adults

The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of sleep among emerging adults by collecting online daily diary data for seven consecutive days and examining the associations between sleep patterns, daily activities, stress, and mood. Two hundred and eighty-six Israeli students (220 females) aged 19–29 years (mean = 23.17, SD = 1.75) participated in the study. Significant correlations between the amount of sleep, sleep schedule variability, and daily activities were observed; however, no associations between sleep and negative affect emerged. Nevertheless, analyzing the data using structural equation models (SEM) demonstrated that sleep has a complex role in the lives of emerging adults as the amount of sleep at night was found to affect the amount of activities during the day which, in turn, affected their sense of coping and level of negative affect. The findings are discussed within the framework of the documented fluctuations in behavior and mood among emerging adults.

Keywords:

• sleep patterns
• emerging adults
• negative affect
• stress
• coping with stress
• college students

Acknowledgements

This study is part of a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University. The Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer, provided financial support for the completion of this study.