Abstract P277: Short Sleep Duration is Associated With Greater Arterial Stiffness Independent of Sleep Quality

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep duration is commonly associated with cardiovascular disease risk. Surprisingly, though, relatively few studies have examined the association between sleep duration and arterial stiffness, an early marker of cardiovascular risk. The available evidence remains equivocal, and few studies have examined whether sleep quality confounds the association between sleep duration and arterial stiffness. Purpose: The purpose of these analyses was to examine the association between sleep duration, sleep quality, and arterial stiffness in a sample of young- and middle-aged adults. Methods: The present analyses utilized baseline data from a sample of adults enrolled in a lifestyle intervention (N=324; 37.8±6.2 y, body mass index [BMI]: 32.8±3.9 kg/m 2 , resting systolic blood pressure [SBP]: 113.5±10.4 mmHg, 77.2% female, 80.6% white). Sleep was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); sleep duration and sleep quality were each assessed with single PSQI items; duration was classified into three categories (< 6 h, ≥ 6 to < 7 h, ≥ 7 h) and quality was dichotomized into good (very good/fairly good) and poor (very bad/fairly bad). Risk for sleep apnea was assessed with the Berlin Questionnaire. Arterial stiffness was assessed with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; values were log-transformed prior to analysis. Analysis of covariance models were used to examine the associations between sleep duration and quality with arterial stiffness. All models adjusted for age, sex, race, BMI, SBP, and sleep apnea risk. Results: Approximately 13%, 34%, and 53% of participants reported < 6 h, ≥ 6 but < 7 h, or ≥ 7 h sleep duration, respectively; 18% of participants reported poor sleep quality. Arterial stiffness significantly differed across categories of sleep duration (η p 2 =.02; P=.03); adults reporting < 6 h sleep duration had significantly greater arterial stiffness than adults reporting either ≥ 6 but < 7 h (P=.02) or ≥ 7 h (P=.01). In contrast, arterial stiffness did not differ according to sleep quality (η p 2 =.00; P=.75). When included in the same model, sleep duration remained a significant predictor of arterial stiffness (η p 2 =.02; P=.03), while sleep quality remained nonsignificant (η p 2 =.00; P=.66). Conclusion: In a sample of young- to middle-aged adults with overweight or obesity, short sleep duration was associated with greater arterial stiffness independently of sleep quality. Whether increasing sleep duration can improve arterial stiffness deserves further exploration.