|
Abstract
|
The psychology of religion literature indicates that religious engagement is beneficial to physical and mental health. Such effects might be mediated by sleep health, which causally affects mood, cognitive, and immune functioning. However, few studies have investigated whether religiosity is associated with better sleep, and no studies have considered the reverse causal direction: better sleep may impact religious behaviors or perceptions.
Methods
We conducted a secondary data analysis of 1,501 participants in Wave 5 of the Baylor Religion Survey (BRS-5). Completed in Spring 2017, the BRS-5 used Address Based Sample methodology to derive a population-based sample. The survey included questions on religious affiliation, behaviors, and perceptions (e.g., certainty of Heaven). Additionally, participants rated their difficulty falling asleep and their average total sleep time. We investigated whether participants were meeting AASM/SRS consensus guidelines of 7-9 hours/night.
Results
Religious affiliation was associated with sleep duration, but not in the predicted direction. Atheists/Agnostics (73%) were significantly more likely to report meeting consensus sleep duration guidelines than religiously-affiliated individuals (65%), p<.05. For example, Atheists/Agnostics reported better sleep duration than Catholics (63%, p<.01) and Baptists (55%, p<.001). Atheists/Agnostics also reported less difficulty falling asleep at night than Catholics (p=.02) and Baptists (p<.001). The effects persisted when controlling for age and were particularly evident in members of African American congregations. Perceptions of getting into Heaven were significantly higher in participants who obtained better sleep duration, p<.05, but interestingly, such beliefs/perceptions were unrelated to difficulty falling asleep at night, suggesting that better sleep may lead to these perceptions rather than vice versa.
Conclusion
In contrast to predictions, religious affiliation was associated with significantly poorer sleep health. Poor sleep health has implications for physical and mental health, and seemingly also religious perceptions/beliefs. Future experimental work is required to disentangle the causal direction of sleep-religiosity associations.
Support
The Baylor Religion Survey was supported by the John Templeton Foundation.
Language: en |