Neuroticism is associated with self-reported, but not actigraphy-assessed, sleep duration

Previous studies have shown that neuroticism is associated with shorter self-reported, but not actigraphy-assessed, sleep duration. However, few studies have examined neuroticism in relation to both retrospective self-report measures of habitual sleep duration and actigraphy-assessed sleep duration in the same sample. Young adults without sleep disorders ( N = 134) wore an actigraph for five nights, along with completing sleep, personality, negative affect, and demographic questionnaires. Neuroticism was negatively associated with both direct and calculated self-report estimates of habitual sleep duration but was not associated with actigraphy-assessed sleep. The association between neuroticism and self-reported sleep remained after controlling for demographic factors, body mass index, actigraphy-assessed sleep, affective symptoms, and other personality traits. Additional research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking neuroticism to sleep duration.