Poor sleep quality and exaggerated salivary cortisol reactivity to the cold pressor task predict greater acute pain severity in a non-clinical sample

► We tested relations among sleep quality, cortisol reactivity and pain reports. ► Poor sleep quality was associated with greater pain severity to cold pressor. ► Poor sleep was also associated with exaggerated salivary cortisol reactivity. ► Cortisol reactivity mediated the relationship between poor sleep and pain severity.