Relationships of sleep duration with sleep disturbances, basic socio-demographic factors, and BMI in Chinese people

Received 7 January 2009; received in revised form 5 March 2009; accepted 9 March 2009.

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed at determining the mean total sleep time (TST) and the relationship between sleep duration and basic socio-demographic factors and BMI sleep problems in Chinese subjects.

Method

A total of 5926 subjects were randomly selected and interviewed using standardized assessment tools.

Results

The reported mean TST was 7.76h. Short sleepers were significantly older than medium and long sleepers. There were more urban residents who were short sleepers than medium and long sleepers. Short sleepers reported more sleep problems than medium and long sleepers. Short and long sleepers reported more psychiatric disorders than medium sleepers in both sexes, and short sleepers also had more major medical conditions in women. Short sleepers had a lower BMI than medium and long sleepers after controlling for the effects of age and psychiatric disorders in women.

Conclusions

Nationwide epidemiologic surveys in China are needed to further explore the relationship between sleep duration and sleep problems.

Keywords: Long sleep syndrome, Short sleep syndrome, China, Epidemiology, Community, Insomnia

a Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

b Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

c Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China

Corresponding authors. Address: Department of Psychiatry, Shatin Hospital, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China. Tel.: +852 2636 7748; fax: +852 2647 5321.

PII: S1389-9457(09)00064-1

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2009.03.002

5 of 25