Association between nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping and the incidence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults: a 4-year longitudinal study

• Main Authors: Ji He (Author), Jin Wang (Author), Beibei Pan (Author), Hongjun Zhang (Author), Shaoshuai Shen (Author), Xiaoguang Zhao (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Komiyama Printing Co. Ltd, 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 1342-078X; 1347-4715; 10.1265/ehpm.24-00046
• Keywords: china; midday napping; middle-aged and older adults; sarcopenia; sleep duration; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, Vol 29, Pp 29-29 (2024)

Background: Identifying treatment targets for sarcopenia is a public health concern. This study aimed to examine the association of nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping with the presence of sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults, utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011 and 2015. Methods: A sum of 7,926 individuals (≥40 years) took part in this study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data on nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping. Nocturnal sleep duration was categorized into three groups: short sleepers (<6 h), normal sleepers (6-8 h), and long sleepers (>8 h). Midday napping was coded as a dichotomous outcome (yes/no). Results: The incidence of sarcopenia was 5.3% during the 4-year follow-up. Short sleep duration (<6 h) was substantially linked to an increased incidence of sarcopenia (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.21-1.87) as compared to nocturnal sleep length (6-8 h). Adults with midday napping had a lower risk of developing sarcopenia than non-nappers (OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.95). We further found that short sleepers with midday napping did not have a significantly higher risk of subsequent diagnosis of sarcopenia compared to normal sleepers without midday napping. Conclusion: These findings imply that short sleep duration in middle-aged and older persons is related to an increased incidence of sarcopenia. However, the adverse effect of short sleep duration on sarcopenia can be compensated by midday napping.