Sleep Duration, Midpoint, Variability, Irregularity and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

Objectives: The relationship between actigraphy-derived sleep parameters, day-to-day deviations in sleep parameters, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a new definition of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), remains unclear. We aimed to explore the associations of sleep duration, midpoint, variability and irregularity with MASLD risk.

Methods: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014. Sleep duration and midpoint were estimated from 4 to 7 days of 24-hour actigraphy measurements. Sleep duration and midpoint standard deviation were used as indicators of sleep variability and irregularity, respectively. MASLD was diagnosed according to the multi-society Delphi consensus. Hepatic steatosis was defined as fatty liver index ≥ 60. Multivariable weighted logistic regression models were used to explore correlations and perform subgroup analyses.

Results: A total of 5,316 participants were included, of whom 2,339 had MASLD. After adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and depression, compared to sleep variability < 60 minutes, the odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 1.13 (0.96-1.34) for 60-90 minutes, and 1.17 (1.00-1.38) for > 90 minutes (P for trend = .034). After further adjustment for other sleep variables, short sleep duration (<7 hours) was associated with a 24% higher risk of MASLD (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.01-1.53); compared to sleep irregularity < 38 minutes, OR (95% CI) was 1.27 (1.02-1.59) for 38-61 minutes and 1.43 (1.24-1.65) for > 61 minutes (P for trend = .003).

Conclusion: In addition to sleep duration, sleep irregularity may need to be considered in the prevention of MASLD.