Why So Sensitive? The Influence Of Sensitive Personality On Sleep Quality In Collegiate Athletes

A highly sensitive person is defined as someone who often experiences sensory overload by subtleties in their environment. External factors, including sensitivity to loud noises, bright lights, and other intense stimuli may impact a highly sensitive individual’s overall sleep quality. PURPOSE: To examine the association between levels of sensitivity and sleep quality in collegiate athletes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of Division I collegiate athletes was performed. Participants completed a survey including a demographics form and two self-reported questionnaires: Highly Sensitive Person Questionnaire (HSP) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The HSP is 27 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale. Levels of sensitivity were divided into 3 groups, with high sensitivity scoring >100, moderate sensitivity 66-99, and low sensitivity <65. The PSQI is composed of 7 components that produces a global sleep composite score (poor sleep quality >5, good sleep quality <5). Descriptive statistics were calculated for each group followed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), with Tukey’s post-hoc to further investigate differences between sensitivity groups and sleep quality. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 398 Division I collegiate athletes (age = 19.9 ± 1.6 M = 245, F = 153) completed the surveys. Descriptive statistics for sensitivity groups are presented in Table 1. Significant differences existed in PSQI scores between at least 2 groups (F (2,395) = [11.12], p < 0.001). High sensitivity PSQI score was significantly different from moderate (High: 6.01, Moderate: 4.70, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.59, 2.04) and low sensitivity groups (High: 6.01, Low: 4.58, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.61, 2.25). CONCLUSION: Collegiate athletes categorized as highly sensitive experienced poorer sleep quality compared to individuals in the moderate or low sensitivity group. Future research should explore sleep monitoring that may help create targeted interventions.