Association between sleep behaviors and adiposity indices among U.S. adults: a cross-sectional study

Shenghao Xu ¹ Jie Lin ¹ Qibo Xu ² Kai Zhao ¹ Jianlin Xiao ^3*

• ¹ Second Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
• ² China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
• ³ Department of Orthopaedics, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China

Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between sleep behaviors and adiposity indices.We analyzed NHANES data from 2011 to 2018 for adults aged 20-80, assessing BMI, waist circumference (WC), lean mass, and body fat percentage with DEXA scans and physical measurements. Sleep duration was categorized into short (< 7 hours), normal (7-9 hours), and long (> 9 hours), as well as their sleep status based on questionnaires. Furthermore, we examined the interaction effects between sleep duration and sleep patterns.Results: Among 19,951 participants providing BMI and WC data, and 10,716 for lean mass and body fat percentage, short sleep duration correlated with higher BMI (β = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.76), WC (β = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.43 to 1.37), and lean mass (β = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.32 to 1.07). Individuals with sleep disorders showed increased values across all indices: BMI (β = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.72 to 1.13), WC (β = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.92 to 2.88), lean mass (β = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.30 to 1.12), and body fat percentage (β = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.90). No significant interaction effects were found between sleep duration and sleep disorders.Our findings indicate that individuals with short sleep duration and sleep disorders are likely to carry a higher weight burden, indicating potential targets for addressing obesity-related health issues.