Association between Daytime Sleepiness and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

Abstract

BackgroundSleep disturbances are increasingly common and associated with adverse health outcomes. Inadequate sleep may also produce daytime symptoms, such as excessive sleepiness. Growing research identifies daytime sleepiness as a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. However, it is unclear whether these associations are independent of the presence of sleep disordered breathing, a primary cause of hypersomnolence.ObjectiveIn this study, we sought to assess the relation between daytime sleepiness and established cardiometabolic risk factors, independently of obstructive sleep apnea.MethodsWe compiled data from 456 individuals (69% male, age 51.3±15.7 years) who participated in research studies performed in the Cardiovascular/Sleep Laboratory at Mayo Clinic and had complete sleepiness data. Height and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI, kg/m2). Obesity was defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Hypertension was determined as self‐reported diagnosis or taking antihypertensive medications. Diabetes mellitus was defined as patient‐reported diabetes or usage of insulin or antidiabetic drugs. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was self‐reported or determined from polysomnography. Subjective daytime sleepiness was defined as an affirmative answer to the question “Are you usually sleepy during the daytime?”.ResultsDaytime sleepiness was reported by 51% of the subjects (n=231). Those with daytime sleepiness were more likely to be male (74.9% vs 62.3%, P=0.005), but the average age was similar between groups (51.6±17.3 years vs 51±14.1 years, P=0.67). BMI was greater among the subjects with perceived daytime sleepiness than in those without (32.2±7 kg/m2 vs 28.9±6.8 kg/m2, P<0.0001), and obesity was more frequent in the former group (62.9% vs 35.4%, P<0.0001). Prevalence of hypertension (37% vs 27.5%, P=0.03), diabetes (14% vs 6.7%, P=0.01), and OSA (18.2% vs 10.4%, P=0.035) was also higher in individuals reporting sleepiness during the day. In multivariable analysis adjusted for age, sex, and OSA, daytime sleepiness was associated with increased risk of obesity (OR=2.88, 95% CI 1.84–4.49, P<0.0001), hypertension (OR=1.73, 95% CI 1.04–2.87, P=0.034), and diabetes (OR=2.58, 95% CI 1.18–5.61, P=0.017).ConclusionDaytime sleepiness is associated with greater risk of obesity, hypertension and diabetes independently of comorbid OSA. Daytime sleepiness may be a novel target for preventative and therapeutic strategies aimed at improving cardiometabolic health.Support or Funding InformationNC is supported by American Heart Association grant 16SDG27250156, and Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science grant Marie Ingalls Cardiovascular Research Career Development Fund.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.