Association between sleep patterns and depressive symptoms in cardiovascular disease patients: a cross-sectional...

To explore the association between sleep patterns and depressive symptoms in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2005-2014).

The cross-sectional study included 1,844 CVD patients who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and reported sleep duration, trouble sleeping, and sleep disorder. Sleep patterns were classified as healthy, intermediate, or poor based on a composite score of these factors. Weighted logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between sleep factors, sleep patterns, and depressive symptoms. Subgroup analyses were also performed stratified by sociodemographic characteristics. Restricted Cubic Spline (RCS) curve characterized the nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and depressive symptoms.

Among 1,844 CVD patients, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 15.1%. Short sleep duration (odds ratio (OR): 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-2.52), trouble sleeping (3.22 (2.29-4.51)), and sleep disorder (2.67 (1.70-4.21)) were all significantly associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms among CVD patients. CVD patients with poor sleep patterns had 4.19-fold risk of depressive symptoms compared with those with healthy sleep patterns. In subgroup analyses, both intermediate (2.34 (1.24-4.41)) and poor (4.94 (2.90-8.40)) sleep patterns were associated with depressive symptoms in the low-income group, but not in the high-income group. RCS analysis revealed a nonlinear association, with a sleep duration of approximately 7 h corresponding to the lowest risk of depressive symptoms.

There was a significant association between sleep patterns and depressive symptoms in CVD patients, with a stronger association observed in the low-income group.