Stress of Life Events and Anxiety as Mediators of the Association between Insomnia and Triglycerides in College Students

Purpose: This study examined interrelationships among insomnia, stress, anxiety, and metabolic risk factors. Methods: A total of 124 college students were included in the analysis (age = 21 ± 1 years). Insomnia, stress of life events, and anxiety were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Fasting blood samples were assayed for glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol). Results: Insomnia was positively associated with stress of life events ([beta] = 0.28, p < 0.001) and anxiety ([beta] = 0.46, p < 0.001). Insomnia was related to elevated fasting insulin ([beta] = 0.12, p = 0.04) and triglyceride level ([beta] = 1.85, p < 0.001). An inverse association was found between insomnia and HDL-cholesterol ([beta] = -0.45, p = 0.03). Sobel's test for mediation showed that stress of life events (p = 0.020) and anxiety (p = 0.013) mediated the relationship between insomnia and hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusions: Reducing stress and anxiety among college students with insomnia may influence subsequent cardiovascular health.