Does interoceptive sensibility mediate the relationship between alexithymia and sleep quality?

• A cross-sectional survey examined alexithymic traits, sleep and interoceptive sensibility(IS). • Alexithymia and positive affect predicted variance in IS. • IS mediated the relationship between alexithymia and sleep. • Supports the importance of emotional and physiological health for sleep health. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that alexithymia and positive affect accurately predicted variance in participants’ IS scores. There was a significant, negative relationship between alexithymia and IS, and a significant positive relationship between positive affect and IS. Participants’ sleep quality, negative affect, caffeine consumption, age and sex did not predict variance in IS scores.