Association between smoking and drinking and sleep duration

In a study of lifestyles and health of the adult population of some Oxfordshire villages, data were collected upon the usual sleep duration and quality, smoking and drinking habits of 725 men and 759 women.

A strong negative association has been found between cigarette smoking and sleep duration in both sexes, and between alcohol consumption and sleep duration in men. There is no equivalent association between drinking or smoking and reported poor quality sleep.

While these findings do not prove a causal relationship, the a bsence of complaints of poor quality sleep among the smokers and drinkers suggests that these habits are not simply the correlates of underlying psychological problems leading to insomnia.     

Association of active and passive smoking with sleep disturbances and short sleep duration among Japanese working population

Background: The relationship between passive smoking and sleep is uncertain. Purpose: To examine the association of passive/active smoking with sleep disturbances. Method: 732 women and 1,896 men, working in a suburb of Tokyo, were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Information on smoking, passive smoking exposure, and sleep was elicited. Exposure levels to passive smoking were assessed separately at work and at home as no, occasional, or regular exposure. Risk of sleep disturbances according to smoking status was estimated using logistic regression with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as measures of association. Results: Compared to never smokers, odds of difficulty awakening in the morning (DAM) in current smokers were significantly higher for women (OR 1.95) and men (OR 1.50), while increased difficulty initiating sleep (OR 1.88) and decreased early morning awakening (OR 0.31) were found only in women. Never smoking men occasionally exposed to passive smoking at work but not at home had increased odds (OR 1.81) of short sleep duration (SSD, <6 h) than unexposed counterparts. Conclusions: The analyses suggest that exposure to passive smoking at work is associated with SSD in men, while current smoking relates to various subtypes of sleep disturbances in both sexes.     

Joint associations of body mass index and waist-to-height ratio with sleep duration among Saudi adolescents

Background: Numerous studies have shown significant associations between short sleep duration and overall or abdominal obesity. However, no study has reported on the joint association of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) with sleep duration in adolescents.

Aim: To examine the joint associations of BMI and WHtR with sleep duration among Saudi adolescents.

Subjects and methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving 2852 secondary-school students (51.7% females) aged 15–19 years, randomly selected using a multistage stratified cluster sampling. Self-reported sleep duration was assessed and BMI was classified into high and low categories according to the IOTF classification, whereas WHtR categories were based on above and below 0.5.

Results: The low BMI–low WHtR category had the longest mean sleep duration (7.27 hours/day), whereas the high BMI-high WHtR group had the shortest sleep duration (7.02 hours/day; p?=?0.003) (aOR?=?0.832, 95% CI?=?0.698–0.992, p?=?0.040). In addition, high BMI–low WHtR or low BMI–high WHtR groups didn’t significantly associate with reduced sleep duration among adolescents.

Conclusion: The joint association of high BMI–high WHtR increases adolescent’s risk of having reduced sleep duration. Future research should seek to confirm such findings and provide an explanation for this association.     

Association between measured BMI and self-perceived body size in Mexican adults

Aim: The study examined the association between perceived body size (through self-selection of Stunkard's body shape silhouettes) and measured body mass index (BMI) in Mexican Mestiso adult men and women, and determined the BMI values that corresponded to each silhouette.

Subjects: A sample of 1092 men and 1247 women, apparently healthy, aged 20–69, was studied.

Methods: Participants were asked to identify the silhouette that most accurately represented his/her body size. Weight and height were measured in duplicate to calculate BMI. A simple linear regression analysis was used to adjust BMI values to silhouette categories by gender. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were calculated to assess accuracy.

Results: Gender-specific BMI values for each silhouette were obtained. Correlation coefficients between silhouette ratings and BMI were 0.702 in males and 0.766 in females. Overweight ranged from silhouette 4 to 6 and obesity from silhouette 6 to 9, in both men and women. In the regression models, 49.3% of BMI variance in males and 58.7% in females were explained statistically by silhouette self-selection. AUC were higher than 0.8 for overweight and obesity in males and females.

Conclusions: Both male and female models had a good fit, indicating that BMI can be associated with body shape silhouettes. Silhouettes can be useful for defining overweight and obesity in settings such as schools or worksites, or where scales and stadiometers might not be available. They can also be used to provide health advice to the public.     

Association between measured BMI and self-perceived body size in Mexican adults

AIM: The study examined the association between perceived body size (through self-selection of Stunkard's body shape silhouettes) and measured body mass index (BMI) in Mexican Mestiso adult men and women, and determined the BMI values that corresponded to each silhouette. SUBJECTS: A sample of 1092 men and 1247 women, apparently healthy, aged 20-69, was studied. METHODS: Participants were asked to identify the silhouette that most accurately represented his/her body size. Weight and height were measured in duplicate to calculate BMI. A simple linear regression analysis was used to adjust BMI values to silhouette categories by gender. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were calculated to assess accuracy. RESULTS: Gender-specific BMI values for each silhouette were obtained. Correlation coefficients between silhouette ratings and BMI were 0.702 in males and 0.766 in females. Overweight ranged from silhouette 4 to 6 and obesity from silhouette 6 to 9, in both men and women. In the regression models, 49.3% of BMI variance in males and 58.7% in females were explained statistically by silhouette self-selection. AUC were higher than 0.8 for overweight and obesity in males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Both male and female models had a good fit, indicating that BMI can be associated with body shape silhouettes. Silhouettes can be useful for defining overweight and obesity in settings such as schools or worksites, or where scales and stadiometers might not be available. They can also be used to provide health advice to the public.     

Association between morningness‐eveningness,sleep duration,weekend catch‐up sleep and depression among Korean high‐school students

The present study aimed to examine the association between morningness‐eveningness preferences, sleep duration, weekend catch‐up sleep duration and depression among Korean high‐school students. A total of 8,655 high‐school students participated from 15 districts in South Korea and completed an online self‐report questionnaire. The following sleep characteristics were assessed: weekday and weekend sleep duration, weekend catch‐up sleep duration, morningness‐eveningness preference, perceived sufficiency of sleep, self‐reported snoring and sleep apnea, daytime sleepiness, and sleep environment. Age, gender, body mass index, number of private classes, proneness to internet addiction, and depressive mood were also evaluated. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to compute odds ratios for the association between depression and sleep characteristics, after controlling for relevant covariates. Eveningness preference was a significant predictor of depressive mood (adjusted OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.47–1.99). Weekend CUS durations that were ≥2 hr and enrollment in numerous private classes were associated with a lower risk for depression (0.68, 0.55–0.85; 0.76, 0.60–0.95; respectively). Female gender, underweight and obese body weight, short weekday sleep durations, excessive daytime sleepiness, perceived excessiveness and insufficiency of sleep, self‐reported snoring and sleep apnea, proneness to internet addiction and a non‐optimal sleep environment were associated with an increased risk for depression. Eveningness preference and insufficient weekday sleep duration were associated with an increased risk for depression. Weekend CUS duration ≥2 hr reduced the risk for depression. Diverse aspects, including sleeping habits and sleep‐related environmental factors, should be considered to reduce depressive symptoms in late adolescents.     

Comparisons of body size and form among ethnic groups of United States college men

Original data were collected during 1979-1982 on 199 American Black and 99 American White college men attending the University of South Carolina. Statistics from these data are presented for 11 measures of body size, 6 measures of body form, and 5 measures of skinfold thickness and body composition. Each variable is described for a) the total samples of South Carolina Black and White college men, and b) three more homogeneous subgroups of college men designated Afro-Black, Afro-Black/Amerind, and Northwest European White. University of South Carolina male students are compared with other groups of United States college men and Selective Service registrants studied during the 1940's and 1950's. It is found: means for standing height of men having Afro-Black and Northwest European White ancestries exceeded the mean for standing height of peers with mixed Afro-Black/Amerind ancestry, lower limb height in percentage of sitting height, on average, was greater for Black college men than for White peers and means for body weight and standing height were higher on South Carolina Black and White college men measured during 1979-1982 than on college men measured in Kansas during the 1940's, and United States Selective Service registrants measured during the 1950's.     

Shift work,sleep duration,and body image dissatisfaction among female workers in southern Brazil

Archives of Women's Mental Health - We examined the association between shift work and sleep duration with body image dissatisfaction (BID) among shift-working women in southern Brazil. In this...     

Association of hostility with sleep duration and sleep disturbances in an employee population

Background: Sleep disturbances are common among the general population, and hostile persons have been proposed to be at greater risk of several serious health problems and diseases. Purpose: This study examined the relationships between hostility, sleep disturbances, and sleep duration in a large non-clinical sample of 5,433 employees working in 12 Finnish hospitals. Method: Data were collected by questionnaire surveys in 1998 and 2000. Results: Higher hostility was cross-sectionally associated with increased sleep disturbances but not with sleep duration after adjustment for gender, age, marital status, education, shift work, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, body mass index, psychiatric morbidity, and somatic disease. A stratified analysis distinguishing individuals with stable hostility across the two measurements and those with transient hostility (>0.5 SD difference between measurements) replicated the association with increased sleep disturbance in both groups, but among those with transient hostility, there additionally was a cross-sectional association between higher hostility and shorter sleep duration. Conclusion: Our evidence suggests that hostility is an independent risk factor for sleep disturbances and that transient hostility may also predispose shorter sleep duration. However, the effect sizes for all these associations were small, suggesting limited clinical significance for our findings.     

The relationship between jaw,arm and leg size in three ethnic groups

Overall height, arm length, leg length and mandibular size were measured in 800 male subjects from three ethnic groups aged three months to 20 years. Mandibular size or limb size showed a linear relationship when plotted against overall body height for each ethnic group and emphasized that different relationships exist between the size of a region and that of the body as a whole in caucasoids, negroids and mongoloids.     

Association between sleep duration and high blood pressure in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Context: Sleep has been assessed as a risk factor for health consequences. Among adults, excessively longer and shorter sleep durations are associated with high blood pressure (BP), but knowledge of the association between sleep duration and high BP among adolescents is limited.

Objectives: To estimate the associations between sleep duration and high BP in adolescents.

Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases were searched for eligible publications up until 20 November 2017. This study reviewed the reference lists from retrieved articles to search for relevant studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis. Sub-group and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger’s test.

Results: Seven studies involving 21,150 participants were included, with ages ranging from 10–18 years. For primary analysis, compared with the reference sleep duration, the pooled OR for high BP was 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI]?=?1.04–2.19) for the short sleep duration overall. For long sleep duration, the pooled OR was 1.04 (95% CI?=?0.78–1.38). Further sub-group analysis showed that short sleep duration had a higher risk of incident high BP in males (OR?=?1.55, 95% CI?=?1.24–1.93) than in females (OR?=?1.23, 95% CI?=?0.47–3.22).

Conclusions: Among adolescents, and particularly male adolescents, short sleep duration may be a risk factor for high BP. More attention should be given to this lifestyle factor.     

Long sleep duration and childhood overweight/obesity and body fat

To assess the association between short sleep duration and overweight/obesity and body fat (BF) and to identify correlates of short sleep duration in a sample of Portuguese children. A cross‐sectional study of children 7–9 years (n = 4511) was performed between October 2002 and June 2003. Weight, height, and skinfolds were measured, and parents filled out a questionnaire about family characteristics as well as sleep duration. The prevalence of overweight/obesity and BF (%) both decreased by long sleep duration. After adjusted for confounders, the odds ratio (OR) for overweight/obesity and sleep duration were as follows: reference >11 h/d; 10–11 h/d, OR: 1.3; confidence interval (CI):1.26, 1.33; 9–10 h/d, OR: 1.16; CI: 1.13, 1.19; and <9 h, OR: 3.22; CI: 3.11, 3.32. Children whose parents' had a low educational level slept less time during each night than children whose parents' had a higher educational level; children who spent more time watching television slept less time than those who watched less television, and those children engaged in physical activity slept more time each night than sedentary children. Our results showed an inverse relationship between long sleep duration and overweight/obesity prevalence as well as with body fat, and these findings are important because sleep duration is a potentially modifiable risk factor that could be important to consider in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Increasing body size among adult cook islanders between 1966 and 1996.

There is limited evidence of a secular trend toward increased body size among populations in the Pacific Region, although some populations have shown a clear rise in overweight and obesity across the past 30 years or so. Mean height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of adults surveyed in 1996 on Rarotonga, the Cook Islands, are reported by age group and compared with data collected in 1966 by Evans and Prior, to determine the extent to which a secular trend in increasing body size has taken place across this 30-year period. In addition, a comparison of these anthropometric variables between subjects born on the most modernized island of Rarotonga with those born on other less-modernized islands is made, to determine the extent to which adult body size differs according to place of origin. Comparing the sample of those born on Rarotonga, the most modernized island, with those born on other, less modernized islands shows those born on Rarotonga to be taller, but not relatively heavier than those born elsewhere in the Cook Islands. Both males and females of the 1996 sample of adults are significantly taller, heavier, with higher BMI compared with the 1966 sample, indicating a secular trend toward increased body size across this 30-year period. The mean BMIs of the younger age groups in 1996 are greater than those of the same age groups in 1966, indicating a secular trend toward greater body fatness. There has been a significant increase in obesity among both males and females. In 1966, 14% of males had a BMI greater than 30, while in 1996, the proportion was 52%. Among females, 44% of those measured in 1966 had a BMI greater than 30, while in 1996 the proportion was 57%. The higher mean stature of younger adult males relative to older ones suggests that the secular trend toward increasing height may have been underway prior to 1966. The mean statures and weights of adults aged 60 years and older in the 1996 sample are more similar to values given for most age groups in the 1966 sample, indicating that the secular trend toward increased weight and height may have begun 50-60 years ago.     

Parity,adiposity, and body fat distribution among Hispanic women

The relationship between parity and body fat distribution was investigated in a sample of 1,590 Mexican American, 411 Cuban American, and 657 Puerto Rican women, aged 20–74 years. Participants were interviewed and examined as part of the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of Hispanic populations residing in the United States. In each ethnic group, there was an increase with greater parity in overall body fat (body mass index [BMI], or triceps plus subscapular skinfolds), central vs. peripheral skinfold thicknesses (subscapular/triceps ratio), and upper vs. lower body skinfold thicknesses (subscapular/calf ratio). These positive associations remained after adjusting for age, income, marital status, smoking, menopausal status, and education. They were statistically significant only in the Mexican American group. After controlling for the BMI, the association between parity and the subscapular/ calf ratio remained significant in Mexican Americans, suggesting a relationship between parity and upper body fat distribution independent of body size. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The association between sleep duration, body mass index and metabolic measures in the Hordaland Health Study

Several studies show that short self-reported sleep duration is associated with elevated body mass index (BMI). Short sleep duration may change appetite hormones, but whether this also influences metabolic measures like cholesterol and triglycerides is less clear. Furthermore, obesity is linked to increases in blood pressure, and recently, short sleep duration has been shown to be an independent risk factor for hypertension. This is a population-based cross-sectional study (The Hordaland Health Study). A subgroup of 8860 subjects, aged 40-45 years, answered a sleep questionnaire. Body weight, height and blood pressure were measured, and non-fasting blood samples were collected and analyzed for total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Sleep duration was divided into the following subgroups: < 5, 5-5.99, 6-6.99, 7-7.99, 8-8.99 and > or = 9 h. The results show that short sleep duration was associated with elevated BMI and increased prevalence of obesity. Similar to BMI, levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in subjects with short sleep duration. This co-variation seemed to be attributed to variables like gender, smoking and BMI. In conclusion, our study confirms a clear association between short sleep duration and elevated BMI and obesity. Furthermore, levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure were associated with sleep duration.     

Cold exposure and sleep in the rat: REM sleep homeostasis and body size

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Exposure to low ambient temperature (Ta) depresses REM sleep (REMS) occurrence. In this study, both short and long-term homeostatic aspects of REMS regulation were analyzed during cold exposure and during subsequent recovery at Ta 24 degrees C. DESIGN: EEG activity, hypothalamic temperature, and motor activity were studied during a 24-h exposure to Tas ranging from 10 degrees C to -10 degrees C and for 4 days during recovery. SETTING: Laboratory of Physiological Regulation during the Wake-Sleep Cycle, Department of Human and General Physiology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna. SUBJECTS: 24 male albino rats. INTERVENTIONS: Animals were implanted with electrodes for EEG recording and a thermistor to measure hypothalamic temperature. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: REMS occurrence decreased proportionally with cold exposure, but a fast compensatory REMS rebound occurred during the first day of recovery when the previous loss went beyond a "fast rebound" threshold corresponding to 22% of the daily REMS need. A slow REMS rebound apparently allowed the animals to fully restore the previous REMS loss during the following 3 days of recovery. CONCLUSION: Comparing the present data on rats with data from earlier studies on cats and humans, it appears that small mammals have less tolerance for REMS loss than large ones. In small mammals, this low tolerance may be responsible on a short-term basis for the shorter wake-sleep cycle, and on long-term basis, for the higher percentage of REMS that is quickly recovered following REMS deprivation.     

Association between habitual naps and sleep apnea

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Taking an afternoon nap (siesta) is a common habit. A number of studies have shown an increased cardiovascular mortality in habitual nappers. Afternoon nappers have anthropometric characteristics similar to those of patients with sleep apnea. Nappers appear to suffer from more sleep apnea, which could contribute to cardiovascular disorders. Our aim was therefore to determine the association between sleep apnea and napping, as well as to analyze the relationship of sleep apnea and napping with hypertension. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Residents in the town of Caceres (Spain) with a population of 100,000 inhabitants. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred five individuals were initially selected (186 nappers and 219 nonnappers). INTERVENTIONS: Telephone interviews were conducted to contact habitual nappers and nonnappers. Out of the total population selected, 90 nappers and 88 nonnappers completed the study protocol (personal interview and polysomnography). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The nappers had a higher frequency of sleep apnea at the 3 cutoff points studied (apnea and hypopnea index > or = 5, > or = 10, > or = 15). The adjusted odds ratio was between 2.8 (confidence interval, 1.3-5.8) and 5.5 (confidence interval, 2.3-13). Napping was associated with hypertension in the univariate analysis (odds ratio: 2.1; confidence interval, 1.1-4), but this association disappeared once sleep apnea was included as a covariate in the multivariate modeling (odds ratio dropped to 1.1). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that napping could be regarded as a marker of sleep apnea, which could account for the cardiovascular diseases observed in nappers. Given that napping is common and that sleep apnea is treatable, more attention should be focused on this population.     

Differences in relationships among sleep apnoea, glucose level, sleep duration and sleepiness between persons with and without type 2 diabetes

Obstructive sleep apnoea is common in patients with diabetes. Recently, it was reported that short sleep duration and sleepiness had deleterious effects on glucose metabolism. Thereafter, several reports showed relationships between glucose metabolism and obstructive sleep apnoea, sleep duration or sleepiness. But the interrelationships among those factors based on recent epidemiological data have not been examined. We analysed data on 275 male employees (age, 44±8years; body mass index, 23.9±3.1kg m(-2) ) who underwent a cross-sectional health examination in Japan. We measured fasting plasma glucose, sleep duration using a sleep diary and an actigraph for 7days, and respiratory disturbance index with a type 3 portable monitor for two nights. Fifty-four subjects (19.6%) had impaired glucose metabolism, with 21 having diabetes. Of those 21 (body mass index, 25.9±3.8kgm(-2) ), 17 (81.0%) had obstructive sleep apnoea (respiratory disturbance index≥5). Regarding the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea, 10, four and three had mild, moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea, respectively. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea was greater in those with than without diabetes (P=0.037). Multiple regression analyses showed that the respiratory disturbance index independently related to fasting plasma glucose only in the diabetic subjects. In patients with diabetes, after adjustment for age, waist circumference, etc. sleep fragmentation had a greater correlation with fasting plasma glucose than sleep duration, but without significance (P=0.10). Because the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea is extremely high in patients with diabetes, sufficient sleep duration with treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea, which ameliorates sleep fragmentation, might improve fasting plasma glucose.