Less than 7 hours of sleep can be harmful for women, increasing the likelihood of developing metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, according to new research.
A team, led by Lili Huang of the School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, identified the association between short and long sleep duration and the risk of metabolic diseases.
Previous research
Recent research shows that sleep duration could be a factor in metabolic regulation, particularly metabolic rate and glucose metabolism. However, findings have, at best, been inconsistent and limited because most studies have focused primarily on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
“Sleep duration is the central parameter of sleep, while it is easily altered by several factors, including physical and psychosocial factors,” the authors wrote.
In the study, researchers examined 4,922 asymptomatic adults who were part of a national survey in China in 2009. They assessed the early stage of metabolic disease using 3 proxies: ratio of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL- C), the fasting triglyceride and glucose product (TyG), and the lipid accumulation product (LAP).
Each participant answered a questionnaire about their sleeping habits and sent blood samples for analysis. Additionally, height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured.
The team implemented multivariable linear and logistic regression models to identify associations of sleep duration with the 3 representatives.
Sleep duration
These models show that female participants with less than 7 hours of sleep per day had an increased value of LAP and TyG by 25.232% (95% CI, 10.738-41.623%) and 0.104 (95% CI, 0.024-0.185). ), respectively. in the crude model compared to women who sleep between 7 and 9 hours per day.
The effects were smaller, but still significant for LAP (11.405%; 95% CI, 1.613-22.262%).
The results of the logistic regression models were similar to the results of the linear regression models.
Here, researchers found that less than 7 hours of sleep per day could increase the risk of elevated LAP (OR, 1.725; 95% CI, 1.042-2.856) after adjusting for multiple covariates.
However, in either model, the researchers found no association among men.
“The relationship between short sleep duration and LAP remained significant among women, even with adjustment for multiple covariates,” the authors wrote. “The findings broadened attention to the relationship between sleep duration and the early stage of metabolic disease, highlighting the potential of sleep intervention to prevent and control metabolic disease.”
Future studies
However, the fact that the associations are more severe for women should justify future studies on sex differences.
Abnormal sleep duration is a public health problem, as epidemiological data show associations of sleep duration with clinical metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.
However, this may also be a consequence of other comorbidities, including depression, which could confound the relationship between sleep duration and outcomes.
Conclusions Short sleep duration was associated with subclinical indicators of metabolic diseases, and women were more susceptible to the association. |
