Objectives: Self-reported sleep duration has been linked to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in previous work; however, data regarding if these associations are stronger in men or women have been mixed, and few studies have objectively measured sleep. We investigated self-reported and actigraphy-assessed sleep characteristics in relation to BMI and waist circumference and examined the extent to which these associations differ by gender.
Design: Archived cross-sectional data collected from 2004 to 2006 from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) Biomarkers Study were used. Participants included 1248 adults (43% men) who reported their habitual sleep duration, and a subset of participants (N=441; 40% men) who underwent seven nights of wrist actigraphy.
Results: Self-reported total sleep time (TST), actigraphy-assessed TST, and actigraphy-assessed sleep efficiency (SE) were inversely associated with BMI in the full sample of both men and women. Gender moderated associations between actigraphy assessments of sleep and anthropometric variables; however, TST and SE were related to BMI and waist circumference in women only. Associations between sleep and waist circumference were independent of BMI.
Conclusions: Sleep duration and sleep continuity are associated with body weight and distribution of body fat, but these associations were stronger or were only present in women.
Keywords: Actigraphy; Body mass index; Gender; Sleep duration; Waist circumference; Women.
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