Discrepancies in weekday-weekend sleep-wake patterns and self-regulation

Abstract

Introduction: Poor self-regulation is commonly seen in mood disorders (e.g., anxiety) and behavioral problems (e.g., substance use). Current study aims to investigate the association of weekday-weekend discrepancies in sleep-wake pattern with self-­regulation abilities. Methods: A total of 1,043 subjects participated in an online survey (256 males, age = 13 - 65 y). Weekday-weekend discrepancies in sleep-wake pattern were measured by the Sleep Timing Questionnaire (STQ), from which the differences over weekday nights and weekend nights in bedtime, wake up time, mid-point of sleep (also known as “social jetlag”) and time-in-bed were calculated. The self-regulation abilities were assessed by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and the Behavioural Inhibition System and Behavioural Approach System (BIS/BAS) Scales. Linear regression analyses were applied to examine the relationships between self-regulation abilities and the degree of weekday-weekend sleep discrepancies, in which age, gender, mental health, chronotype and sleep duration during weekday nights were controlled. Results: Participants with more delayed weekend wake up time (ß = -0.10, p = 0.010), more sleep compensation during weekend (ß = -0.09, p = 0.021), or greater social jetlag (ß = -0.08, p = 0.030) were more likely to show lower cognitive reappraisal, i.e. less adaptive emotion regulatory strategy. The behavioral activation systems, especially the fun-seeking and reward responsiveness domains, were associated with more delayed bedtime (BAS-F: ß = 0.10, p = 0.003; BAS-R: ß = 0.08, p = 0.016), and less weekend sleep compensation (BAS-F: ß = -0.10, p = 0.018; BAS-R: ß = -0.08, p = 0.040), suggesting a decreased sensitivity towards rewards and more reward/fun seeking behaviors. Meanwhile, the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) was related with more delayed wake up time (ß = 0.09, p = 0.023) and more social jetlag (ß = 0.09, p = 0.011), suggesting an increased sensitivity towards threating cues and tendency towards withdrawal behaviors. Conclusion: Irregular sleep-wake pattern might be a risk factor for impaired self-regulations, which are often implicated in psychopathology. Moreover, shifts in sleep timing, wake up timing and changes in sleep duration may have differential effects on motivation drives.