Association between Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Diabetes Mellitus: Data from a 7-Year Aggregated Analysis

Abstract

Background: This study investigates the association between sleep duration and diabetes mellitus (DM) in a large representative population-based survey in South Korea. Methods: The fourth (2007–2009), fifth (2010–2012), and sixth (2013) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data sets were used. A total of 37,989 individuals were selected for the study. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to analyze whether general characteristics, health status, and health risk behaviors were associated with DM. Results: After adjusting for confounders, the odds of DM in short sleepers (≤5 hr/day) and long sleepers (≥9 hr/day) were 1.033-times higher (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.913–1.169) and 1.334-times higher (95% CI, 1.140–1.562), respectively, compared with individuals who slept 7 hr/day. Subgroup analysis according to gender showed a U-shaped association for both genders, although it appeared stronger in men. Conclusion: This study identified a U-shaped association between sleep duration and the risk for DM. Additional studies should help clarify the important information in this study.