Recently, new research has shown that there is a significant connection between a person's optimistic disposition and their sleep quality. Hence, these results from this research have shown that a person who is an optimist is very likely to have better sleep and a lower risk of insomnia.

Now days, one of the major public health concerns is sleep deprivation. In fact, around 30% of adults in the United States do not get the necessary amount of sleep. Moreover, about 70 million people in the USA have a certain sleep disorder.

There are many ways which can boost sleep, including doing regular physical exercise, getting a new mattress, avoiding alcohol and  consumption at night, and using the bedroom only for rest. Moreover, this new research has shown that there is a new thing which can also improve sleep and that’s an optimistic disposition.

This study was published in the journal Behavioral Medicine and it says that optimists sleep better, besides also having better cardiovascular health, which has been concluded with some previous studies. The study was conducted by Dr. Rosalba Hernandez, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work.

The Link Between Sleep and Optimism

The lead author, Dr. Hernandez, and her team examined 3,548 participants all between the age of 32–51. The study was named Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) and all participants were non-Hispanic white and African American adults living in Birmingham, AL, Oakland, CA, Chicago, IL, and Minneapolis, MN, and other U.S. regions.

In order to access how much optimistic each participant is, they were required to express their agreement with a series of 10 statements with the use of a five-point Likert scale, ranging from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree.’ The positive statements were like ‘I'm always optimistic about my future’, while the negative ones were ‘I hardly expect things to go my way.’ So, the score varied from 6-30 where 30 was the most optimistic.

Moreover, during the CARDIA study, all of the participants reported on the quality of their sleep 5 years apart. They were required to state how many hours a day do they sleep and whether or not they experience any symptoms of insomnia. Additionally, some of the participants were required to wear activity monitors, which measured their restlessness and the length of their sleep.

In order to determine the link between sleep quality, insomnia and optimism, the researchers used multivariate regression analyses.

Hence, the CARDIA study revealed that optimists are 74% less likely to have insomnia. Moreover, participants who are optimists are more likely to sleep for 6–9 hours each night. According to Dr. Hernandez, the study showed a significant link between sleep disorders, such as insomnia and whether or not a person is an optimist or a pessimist. We all know that the lack of proper sleep affects the overall health and increases the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. So, being an optimist means that you will fall asleep easier and enjoy your sleep better than people who are pessimists.