Elevated oxidative stress biomarkers in adults with segmented sleep patterns

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Biomarkers
• Oxidative Stress

Background:

• Sleep patterns vary widely among adults.
• Inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers are crucial indicators of health.
• Understanding the link between sleep and these biomarkers is essential for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between different sleep patterns (monophasic, biphasic, polyphasic) and key inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in adults.
• To determine if sleep fragmentation influences specific biomarkers like high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, malondialdehyde, total glutathione, and basal oxidizability.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 321 adults aged 18-59 years.
• Participants wore actigraphs for one week to record sleep patterns (monophasic, biphasic, polyphasic).
• Fasting blood samples were analyzed for inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers.

Main Results:

• No correlation was found between sleep duration/napping and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, malondialdehyde, total glutathione, or basal oxidizability.
• Segmented sleep patterns (biphasic and polyphasic) were significantly associated with increased oxidative stress biomarkers.
• Polyphasic sleep correlated with higher basal oxidizability (P=.023), biphasic sleep with higher malondialdehyde (P=.036), and monophasic sleep with higher total glutathione (P=.046).

Conclusions:

• Segmented sleep, characterized by biphasic and polyphasic patterns, is associated with elevated serum malondialdehyde and basal oxidizability.
• Further research is recommended to explore the cardiometabolic implications of these oxidative stress biomarkers in individuals with segmented sleep patterns.