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Sleep Duration, Midpoint, Variability, Irregularity and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
Qingcui Wu, Fuman Song, Huijie Huang1
1School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
Behavioral Sleep Medicine
|March 13, 2025
Summary
Sleep irregularity and short sleep duration increase the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). These sleep parameters should be considered in MASLD prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Science
- Hepatology
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly NAFLD, is a growing health concern.
- The link between sleep patterns and MASLD risk is not fully understood.
- Actigraphy offers objective measures of sleep duration and variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between actigraphy-derived sleep parameters and MASLD risk.
- To explore how sleep duration, midpoint, variability, and irregularity relate to MASLD.
- To identify specific sleep characteristics that may predict MASLD development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014.
- Assessed sleep duration and midpoint using 4-7 days of actigraphy.
- Defined MASLD based on the multi-society Delphi consensus and hepatic steatosis by fatty liver index.
- Employed multivariable weighted logistic regression for correlation and subgroup analyses.
Main Results:
- Short sleep duration (<7 hours) was linked to a 24% increased risk of MASLD.
- Increased sleep irregularity (standard deviation of midpoint) showed a significant trend with higher MASLD risk (P for trend = .003).
- Sleep variability also showed a trend towards increased MASLD risk, particularly with >90 minutes of deviation (P for trend = .034).
Conclusions:
- Sleep duration is a significant factor associated with MASLD risk.
- Sleep irregularity, in addition to duration, emerges as a crucial factor for MASLD prevention.
- Future research should consider both sleep duration and irregularity in MASLD management strategies.
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