Sleep Duration and Hpyercholesterolemia: Contribution of Race/Ethnicity and Gender

Background: We investigated whether race/ethnicity and gender play a key role in the association between sleep duration and hypercholesterolemia. Method: A total of 40,679 Americans (age range:18-85 years) who participated in the 2008–2009 National Health Interview Survey provided data for the analysis. They were recruited using a nationally representative cross-sectional household interview survey, which uses a multistage area probability design. Respondents provided socio-demographic and anthropometric measures; data on physician-diagnosed chronic conditions were also obtained. They also rated their moods and indicated their habitual sleep duration. Results: Of the sample, 85% reported their race/ethnicity as white and 15% as black. The average age was 45.3+17.3 years; 56% were women. Regression analysis showed that participants who reported long sleep duration were more likely to report hypercholesterolemia than individuals sleeping 7-8 hours habitually [OR=1.28, 95% C.I: 1.28 -1.28, p <0.001]. We observed that blacks who reported short (<7 hours) or long (>8 hours)sleep durations had a greater risk of reporting hypercholesterolemia than those sleeping 7-8 hours [OR=1.12, 95% C.I: 1.11 -1.13; OR=1.13, 95% C.I: 1.12 -1.14; p <0.001, respectively]. In a separate regression model, black women reporting short or long sleep had 11% and 10% greater risk of reporting hypercholesterolemia compared with black men in the same sleep categories [OR=1.11, 95% C.I: 1.10 -1.11; OR=1.10, 95% C.I: 1.10 -1.10; p <0.001, respectively]. Conclusion: Results showed that the risk of reporting hypercholesterolemia is higher among black short and long sleepers. Black women may be at greater risk than all other groups.