0746 Rested and Connected: An Exploration of Sleep Health and Loneliness Across the Adult Lifespan

Abstract Introduction The 2023 U.S Surgeon General’s Advisory identified loneliness as a major public health concern. Growing research in this area has identified a relationship between loneliness and poor sleep outcomes in different age groups; however, few studies have explored the relationship between loneliness and sleep health. As such, the present study evaluated the association between loneliness (including social and emotional loneliness subtypes) and sleep health across the adult lifespan. Methods Participants included adults across the lifespan (N=2297, Mage = 44 years, 49% female) who completed an online study which included the RU-SATED sleep health questionnaire and the Gierveld Loneliness scale. Correlation and linear regression analyses were utilized to examine direct associations between sleep health, age, and loneliness. The total score and the subscales (emotional and social loneliness) of the Gierveld Loneliness scale were examined to investigate if components of loneliness were differentially associated with sleep health. Moderation analyses examined whether the link between sleep health and loneliness differed by age. Separate moderation models were constructed for each loneliness outcome (i.e., total, emotional, or social), with sleep health, age, and their interaction as predictors. Results Better sleep health and younger age were associated with significantly lower loneliness total and subscale scores (all p’s <.05). Age significantly moderated the association between sleep health and total loneliness scores and emotional loneliness scores (b = 0.01, t = 2.63, p = .009; b = 0.04, t = 3.15, p = .002, respectively); but did not moderate the association between sleep health and social loneliness (b = 0.02, t = 1.54, p = .124). Specifically, while better sleep health was associated with lower loneliness across ages, this association was stronger at younger ages. Conclusion Results suggest that younger age groups may be more prone to the positive effects of better sleep health on loneliness, especially emotional loneliness, compared to older age cohorts. Promoting sleep health may be an untapped avenue to support efforts and programs that aim to reduce loneliness and increase engagement in all age groups, but especially in younger ages. Future research should consider monitoring sleep health in programs or interventions that address loneliness. Support (if any)