Sleep pattern and bone mineral density: a cross-sectional study of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017–2018

Abstract

Summary This research is a cross-sectional study based on the participants aged 50\xa0years and older from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Poor sleep patterns were associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and a higher risk of osteoporosis, especially among older individuals or females. Introduction Accumulated evidence demonstrates that sleep duration, which is one aspect of sleep pattern, is associated with the risk of osteoporosis. However, the related studies on the association between sleep patterns and the risk of osteoporosis were limited. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the association of sleep patterns with BMD and the risk of osteoporosis among individuals aged 50\xa0years and older. Methods Participants aged\u2009≥\u200950\xa0years from the NHANES database were included in the present study. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was based on the results of BMD testing. Moreover, all the participants were divided into different sleep pattern groups according to nocturnal sleep duration and bedtime. In addition, this study used multivariate linear regression models to evaluate the association between sleep patterns and BMD and exploited multiple logistic regression models to investigate the odds ratios (ORs) for osteoporosis. Results Finally, 1,865 individuals (non-osteoporosis: N \u2009=\u20091,713; osteoporosis: N \u2009=\u2009152) aged over 50\xa0years old with complete data were analyzed. The results of multivariate linear regression models showed that individuals with normal sleep duration/later bedtime or long sleep duration/later bedtime had lower femoral BMD than those with normal sleep duration/usual bedtime. Moreover, subjects with long sleep duration/later bedtime had a higher risk of osteoporosis compared with those with normal sleep duration/usual bedtime. In addition, subgroup analyses revealed the association of sleep patterns with BMD and the risk of osteoporosis appeared to be more pronounced among individuals aged\u2009≥\u200965\xa0years or females. Conclusion This study demonstrated that sleep patterns are associated with BMD and the risk of osteoporosis. Poor sleep patterns contribute to decreased bone mass and the increased risk of osteoporosis. Therefore, a healthy sleep pattern is favorable for the prevention of osteoporosis.