The relationships between sleep and adiposity amongst multi-ethnic Asian populations: a cross-sectional analysis of the Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) study

Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality have been associated with obesity. Asian populations report shorter sleep duration compared to other groups. We therefore aimed to explore the relationships between sleep duration, sleep quality, dozing, daytime napping, snoring, insomnia and adiposity in a multi-ethnic Asian population, and investigate the potential contribution of disturbed sleep to the risk of obesity amongst Asian populations.

We studied 8876 participants of the HELIOS study, a multi-ethnic population-based cohort comprising Chinese, Malay, and Indian Asian men and women living in Singapore. Sleep traits and psychological symptoms were assessed using validated tools which included the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. We employed multivariable regression models to examine the associations between sleep and adiposity, while also conducting sub-group and sensitivity analyses to strengthen the reliability of our results.

The 8876 participants were 69.3% Chinese, 12.5% Malays, and 18.2% Indians, with mean age: 51.7 ± 11.8 years (standard deviation). Malays had the shortest sleep duration, while Chinese had the best sleep quality. Short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and snoring were associated with higher BMI and waist circumference, independent of age, sex, ethnicity, and various confounding factors (education, household income, current smoking, regular alcohol drinking status, presence of diabetes and hypertension, and markers for anxiety and depression; P < 0.005). The estimated population attributable fraction for short sleep and snoring as contributors to obesity were 6.6% (95% CI: 2.5–10.6%) and 18.6% (95% CI: 17.0–20.2%), respectively.

Sleep duration, sleep quality, and snoring are associated with adiposity in a multi-ethnic Asian population of Chinese, Malays, and Indians. Our findings suggest that a substantial portion of obesity in Asian populations could be averted through public health interventions aimed at improving sleep duration and quality.