Association between sleep duration and haemoglobin A_(1c) in young adults

摘要

Background Epidemiologies! and experimental evidence suggests that inadequate sleep can cause both obesity and impaired glucose tolerance. Short sleep duration in childhood appears to have a greater impact on the risk for adult obesity than adult sleep duration. The long-term effects of childhood sleep on glucose metabolism have not been investigated. The authors assessed the associations between childhood and adult sleep duration and adult glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA_(1c)) levels. Methods An unselected cohort of 1037 individuals, born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between 1972 and 1973. Parent reports of times in bed at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11 were used to estimate childhood sleep duration. Adult sleep duration was estimated from self-reported times in bed at age 32. HbA_(1c) levels were measured at age 32. Pregnant women and participants with diabetes were excluded from the analyses. Results Childhood sleep duration did not predict adult HbA_(1c). However, less time spent in bed at age 32 was associated with higher levels of HbA_(1c) (p=0.002) and an increased risk of prediabetes (p=0.015). The inverse association between adult sleep times and HbA_(1c) was independent of body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status, shift work and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea. Conclusions Short sleep duration is associated with higher levels of HbA_(1c) and an increased risk of prediabetes in young adults. The findings suggest that inadequate sleep impairs glucose control in the short term and may increase the risk for long-term health problems.