The Association between Sleep Duration and Metabolic Variables in Obese Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Objectives: Sleep loss is problematic in adults and children. Decline in sleep duration has paralleled an increase in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between sleep duration, severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and metabolic variables in obese children. Methods: In this study, patients between the ages of 2 and 12 years who had overnight polysomnography (PSG) at a tertiary care medical center were included. Patients were identified from a xenobase search of medical records. All patients had lipid levels, blood glucose, and insulin evaluated within 3 months of PSG. The demographics, laboratory data, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure were collected from the medical records. Results: A total of 31 patients were studied. Twenty-one (67.7%) were male, and the mean age of patients was 8.5 ± 1.9 years. The mean BMI z score was 2.7 ± 0.81. All patients were obese. Patients were categorized into groups with total sleep duration >6 hours and <6 hours. Sixteen patients slept <6 hours and 15 patients slept >6 hours. There was no statistical difference in the lipid variables and blood pressure in these patients. A nonsignificant trend of decreased sleep duration with an increase in severity of OSA was observed. Blood sugar was significantly increased in patients with sleep <6 hours (100.2 ± 8.1 mg/dL) when compared with patients with sleep >6 hours (95 ± 4.4 mg/dL; P = .05). The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) values were significantly higher in children with sleep <6 hours (1.81 ± 0.51) when compared with patients with sleep >6 hours (1.33 ± 0.55; P = .04). Conclusions: Short sleep duration is associated with insulin resistance in obese children with OSA.