Sleep duration, timing, variability and measures of adiposity among 8- to 12-year-old children with obesity

Sleep disruption in laboratory studies increases adiposity and decreases glucose tolerance. However, few epidemiological studies have used objective measures of sleep. This study aims to assess associations between sleep duration, timing and regularity with measures of adiposity.

This is a cross-sectional study of 188 children with obesity (age: 10.50 ± 1.39 years; body mass index: 29.24 ± 5.04 kg m^-2). Nightly sleep duration, bedtime and wake time were measured by multiple-day actigraphy and parent reports. Per cent overweight (per cent over median body mass index for age and sex) was chosen as the primary measure of obesity status. Objective measures of height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood lipids, glucose, insulin, glycated haemoglobin and C-reactive protein were obtained. Television screen time and total caloric intake were assessed via parent questionnaire.

Each hour later in weekday bedtime was associated with an additional 6.17 per cent overweight (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42-10.92). Each hour greater in day-to-day variability in weekday bedtime and weekday wake time was associated with an additional 10.20 (95% CI: 0.50-19.91) and 10.02 (95% CI: 1.55-18.50) per cent overweight, respectively. Associations were similar after controlling for other obesity-related behaviours (television screen time, total caloric intake and physical activity.).

Among children with obesity, later bedtime and greater variability in bedtime and wake time are associated with greater adiposity, independent of other obesity-related behaviours. Early bedtime and wake time and consistent day-to-day sleep timing may be strategies to reduce adiposity in high-risk children.