Work

Relationship between sleep duration and body mass index depends on age

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Sleep duration is associated with obesity and cardiometabolic disease. It is unclear, though, how these relationship differs across age groups. METHODS: Data from 2007 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used, including respondents aged 16+ with complete data (N = 5,607). Sleep duration and age were evaluated by self-report, and body mass index (BMI) was assessed objectively. Sleep duration was evaluated continuously and categorically [very short (≤4 h), short (5-6 h), and long (≥9 h) versus average (7-8 h)]. Age was also evaluated continuously and categorically [adolescent (16-17 years), young adult (18-29 years), early middle age (30-49 years), late middle age (50-64 years), and older adult (≥65 years)]. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction with age for both continuous (Pinteraction = 0.014) and categorical (Pinteraction = 0.035) sleep duration. A pseudo-linear relationship was seen among the youngest respondents, with the highest BMI associated with the shortest sleepers and the lowest BMI associated with the longest sleepers. This relationship became U-shaped in middle-age, and less of a relationship was seen among the oldest respondents. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may provide insights for clinical recommendations and could help to guide mechanistic research regarding the sleep-obesity relationship.

Source: Obesity

DOI: 10.1002/oby.21247

Authors: Michael A. Grandner, Elizabeth A. Schopfer, Megan Sands‐Lincoln, Nicholas Jackson, Atul Malhotra

Institutions: University of Arizona, University of Pennsylvania, RELX Group (United States), University of Southern California, University of California San Diego

Language: English

Topic: Sleep and related disorders

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Center for Research Resources