The Association of Sleep Duration and Hypertension in Adults in Korea

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study investigated the association between sleep duration and hypertension in Korean adults. METHODS: A secondary analysis was performed using data from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010. Of the respondents, 5,450 adults over 30 years were included in this analysis. Logistic regression analysis was applied using SAS 9.2. RESULTS: Among Korean adults, the prevalence of hypertension was 28.9% and the mean duration of sleep per night was 6.8 hours. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypertension was 2.16 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]=1.73-2.69) among adults who slept over 6 hours per night compared to those who slept 8 hours per night. After adjusting for risk factors of hypertension including age, gender, socioeconomic status, and health behaviors (smoking, obesity, alcohol intake, physical activity, and stress), the OR remained significant (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.03-1.69). CONCLUSION: Short sleep duration should be considered a risk factor for hypertension. Interventions for adequate sleep duration could be added to other lifestyle changes (smoking cessation, weight control, low sodium diet, physical activities, and etc.) for preventing hypertension.