The Interaction Between Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Physical Activity on Peripheral Artery Disease in Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in the Tianning Cohort Study

Sleep duration was associated with large artery atherosclerosis, but its association with atherosclerosis in lower extremity arteries was not well studied. Together with sleep, physical activity constitutes main component of our daily life and influences sleep. Here, we aimed to examine the independent and joint associations of sleep duration and physical activity with peripheral artery disease (PAD) in Chinese adults.

In Tianning cohort, night-time sleep duration and physical activity were assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, respectively, for 5130 participants (51.0±15.6 years, 58.7% female). PAD was defined as ankle-brachial index (ABI) <0.9. General linear, and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of sleep duration and physical activity with PAD. The biological interaction between sleep duration and physical activity on PAD was examined using additive model.

Compared to participants sleeping 6-8.9 h, those sleeping ≥9 h had a 0.02 lower ABI (β=-0.02, P=0.007) and 38% higher odds of PAD (OR=1.38, P=0.035). Compared to physically active participants sleeping 6-8.9 h, among ≥9 h group, physically inactive individuals had significantly increased odds of PAD (OR=2.40, P<0.001), whereas physically active individuals did not (OR=1.15, P=0.472). On additive scale, attributable proportion due to interaction (0.40, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.73) indicated a significant interaction between sleep duration and physical activity on PAD.

Being physically active may attenuate the detrimental association between prolonged sleep duration and PAD. Moreover, we found a significant interaction between prolonged sleep duration and physical inactivity in the prevalence of PAD.