Associations between sleep and obesity indices in older adults: results from the HELIAD study

Background Short sleep duration and low sleep quality are negatively associated with obesity in young adults, but in older people the results are inconsistent. Aims The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between sleep duration and quality with both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) and to investigate sex- and age-specific associations in a population-representative cohort of older adults. Methods 1781 participants >= 65 years old from the HELIAD study were included. Sleep duration and quality were based on self-report, whereas BM Iota and WC were evaluated clinically. Results Sleep duration was inversely related to WC, only in women, even after adjustment for age, sex, years of education, total energy intake and level of physical activity. Furthermore, sleep quality was negatively related to both BMI and WC in women. In men, however, no significant relationships were observed between these variables. Associations between sleep and weight did not differ between those aged < 73 and >= 73 years old. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study examining both sleep duration and quality with BMI and WC in older adults, performing by-sex analysis. Although additional studies are needed, improvements in sleep habits should be considered in weight management of older individuals. Conclusions Our results suggest that poor sleep is associated to adverse weight effects in older women, but not men.