Association Between Dietary Vitamin Intake and Short Sleep Duration Among Adults in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2021-2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Data
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective Short sleep duration (SSD) and inadequate dietary vitamin intake are both relevant to overall health and may share relationships with chronic disease risk. However, the relationship between dietary vitamin intake and sleep duration remains incompletely characterized, particularly when vitamin intake is evaluated relative to total energy consumption; additionally, limited research has been done to evaluate the relationship between SSD and vitamins that are not traditionally associated with sleep. Understanding these associations may help clarify potential nutritional factors related to sleep duration. This study evaluated associations between SSD and dietary intake of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C, D, E, and K per 1,000 kilocalories among adults in the United States. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study used 2021-2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Adults aged ≥20 years with complete sleep, dietary, covariate, and Day 1 dietary weight data were included (n=4,169). SSD was defined as fewer than 7 hours of usual weekday/workday sleep. Primary endpoints were vitamins A, B6, and K; all other vitamins were secondary endpoints. Participants were categorized into low, middle, and high intake tertiles for each vitamin. Separate weighted logistic regression models were performed using the NHANES Day 1 dietary sample weight and adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income-to-poverty ratio, total energy intake, and body mass index. NHANES strata and primary sampling units were not incorporated into the analysis. Results SSD prevalence decreased across low-to-high intake groups for vitamin A (24.2% to 16.4%), vitamin B6 (22.7% to 18.7%), and vitamin K (23.5% to 17.8%). Higher intake remained associated with lower odds of SSD for vitamin A (aOR=0.710, 95% CI 0.710-0.711), vitamin B6 (aOR=0.724, 95% CI 0.723-0.725), and vitamin K (aOR=0.815, 95% CI 0.814-0.816). Weaker inverse associations were observed for vitamins B1, B2, B3, B12, D, and E. Vitamin C demonstrated a nonlinear inverse pattern, whereas vitamin B9 showed a direct association. Conclusion Higher dietary intake of vitamins A, B6, and K was associated with lower odds of SSD among adults in the United States. Causation cannot be inferred because of the cross-sectional study design. In addition, confidence intervals and significance estimates should be interpreted cautiously because NHANES strata and primary sampling units were not incorporated into the analysis. Prospective studies using full complex survey methods are warranted to further evaluate these associations.
Source: Cureus
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7214964070