Association between weekend catch-up sleep and white blood cell count among Korean adults: A population-based...

This study investigated the association between weekend catch-up sleep (WCS) and systemic inflammation, as indicated by serum white blood cell (WBC) counts.

A cross-sectional study of 22,143 participants from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2018, and 2021) categorized into no-WCS (<1 h), moderate WCS (1 to <3 h), and extended WCS (≥3 h). WBC counts were divided into quartiles, and polytomous logistic regression was used to assess associations between WCS and WBC counts. Stratified analyses considered age, sex, body mass index (BMI), sleep duration, and bedtime inconsistency.

Extended WCS was modestly associated with higher WBC counts, particularly in adults aged 20-39 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.08, 1.87), 40-64 years (OR = 1.54, 95 % CI: 1.19, 1.99), males (OR = 1.56, 95 %e CI: 1.21, 2.01), individuals with BMI < 25 kg/m² (OR = 1.45, 95 % CI: 1.21, 1.76), and those with irregular bedtimes (OR = 1.78, 95 % CI: 1.34, 2.37). Moderate WCS was inversely associated with higher BMI (OR = 0.79, 95 % CI: 0.64, 0.97). Significant interactions were observed by age, sex, BMI, and bedtime inconsistency.

Extended WCS was associated with elevated systemic inflammation in specific subgroups. Maintaining regular and moderate sleep patterns may help mitigate low-grade inflammation.