Associations between sleep deprivation, sleep irregularity, depressive symptoms, and obesity using the KNHANES 2020

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the associations between insufficient sleep and health outcomes, specifically depressive symptoms and obesity, using data from the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) with a cross-sectional study design. A total of 5912 participants (2648 men and 3264 women) were included. Among them, 823 individuals (13.9 %) experienced difficulty with weekday sleep deprivation, and 442 individuals (7.5 %) exhibited weekday-weekend sleep mismatch. The mean sleep duration varied according to age group, underlying disease, and physical activity level. Individuals with sleep deprivation were more likely to have depressive symptoms (OR 3.21, 95 % CI 2.65–3.90) and obesity (OR 1.29, 95 % CI 1.07–1.754). On the basis of these findings, both the duration and regularity of sleep are associated with depressive symptoms and obesity, suggesting that sleep patterns may play important roles in these health outcomes.