The Secret to a Good Night’s Sleep: the Role of Psychological Need Satisfaction Examined.

Abstract

Background: While several studies have identified psychological predictors of sleep, most of the available body of work is lacking a strong theoretical basis. The present study explored the association between the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, as defined within the Self-Determination Theory, and subjective measures of sleep in a non-clinical population. Secondly, we explored whether need satisfaction would account for the relation between mindfulness and financial strain and sleep outcomes. Methods: Adult participants (N = 215, 61% female; Mean age = 31) completed a questionnaire assessing psychological need satisfaction, mindfulness, financial strain and sleep outcomes. Findings: The results indicated that psychological need satisfaction related to better sleep quality and more adaptive daytime functioning but was only minimally associated with sleep quantity. Finally, mindfulness and financial strain related, respectively, positively and negatively to sleep quality through need satisfaction, suggesting that need satisfaction represents a critical explanatory mechanism. Discussion: These results suggest that the satisfaction of one’s psychological needs is implicated in the adequate regulation and satisfaction of the physiological need for sleep.