Socioeconomic status and health: the role of sleep

Abstract

Objective: Examine the role of sleep in the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health.

Method: Self-reported measures of income and education, sleep quantity and quality, and mental and physical health were obtained in a community sample of 1139 adults.

Results: More education was associated with higher income (p <.001), and higher income was associated with better physical health (p <.001) and psychological outcomes (p <.001). The effects of income on both mental and physical health were mediated by sleep quality (p values <.01), and sleep quantity was related to both measures of health (p values <.01) but to neither index of SES.

Conclusion: Sleep quality may play a mediating role in translating SES into mental and physical well-being, and income seems to mediate the effect of education on sleep and, in turn, health.