Insights from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–2020: Exploring Sleep Duration\'s Influence on Health Parameters

Aims and background:To investigate the relationship between sleep duration and various health parameters such as obesity, inflammation, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2020.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from 2,262 adults aged 26-64 years, derived from NHANES 2017-2020.Participants were categorized into three groups based on sleep duration: Less than 7 hours (group A), 7-9 hours (group B), and more than 9 hours (group C).Health parameters such as blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn-Bonferroni post-hoc analysis.Correlations were assessed using Spearman's test hsCRP and rest of the parameters.Results: Significant differences were observed between groups A and B in systolic and diastolic BP, BMI, waist-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin, HOMA-IR, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.Similar differences were found between groups A and C and groups B and C for waist-hip ratio, HbA1c, insulin, and hsCRP.There was no significant difference in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL -cholesterol).Conclusion: Sleep duration significantly influences key health parameters such as BP, obesity markers, insulin resistance, and inflammation.Individuals with less than 7 hours of sleep exhibited worse health outcomes than those with 7-9 hours, highlighting the importance of optimal sleep duration for maintaining metabolic and cardiovascular health.Clinical significance: This study highlights sleep duration as an important, modifiable clinical factor associated with metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular health.Short sleep duration (<7 hours) is linked to adverse cardiometabolic risk markers, emphasizing the need to consider sleep assessment in routine clinical evaluation and preventive care.