Exercise attenuates the association between pyrethroid exposure and sleep disorders in male adults

Background

Pyrethroids are widely used in agriculture and household pest management as one of the top three insecticides globally, yet the neurobehavioral impacts of human exposure to these chemicals have attracted increasing concern.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between pyrethroid exposure and sleep disorders and whether exercise could attenuate these associations.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2007-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to study the association between pyrethroid pesticide exposure and sleep disorders. The exposure level of pyrethroid metabolites in urine samples was measured. Physician diagnosis of sleep disorders was used to determine sleep disorders. Exercise level was judged by self-reported physical activity from the interviews.

Results

Of the 5947 participants, sleep disorders had a weighted prevalence of 9.0 %, representing an approximation of 186,140,757 patients nationwide. We found a sex-specific association between high levels of 3-PBA and elevated risk of sleep disorders diagnosis in men (OR: 1.87; 95 % CI: 1.150–3.042; P = 0.01). In addition, less physical activity was associated with higher rates of sleep disorders as pyrethroid exposure levels increased (OR: 1.98; 95 % CI: 1.152–3.388; P = 0.02).

Conclusion

This study further confirmed that pyrethroid exposure is associated with an elevated risk of sleep disorders in men. More importantly, we reported for the first time that vigorous physical activity attenuates the correlation between pyrethroid exposure and sleep disorders.