The Associations between Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality with Body-Mass Index in a Large Sample of Young Adults

Background: The main aims of this study were to explore the associations between time spent in bed (as a proxy of sleep duration) and sleep quality with overweight/obesity status in a large sample of young adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, participants were 2100 university students (49.6% of women). We used Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire to assess time spent in bed and sleep quality. Body-mass index (BMI) was self-reported and dichotomized as normal (<25 kg/m2) vs. overweight/obesity (≥25 kg/m2) status. Results: In model 1, both short (<6 h/day, OR = 2.72; 95% CI 1.27 to 5.84) and long (>10 h/day, OR = 3.38; 95% CI 2.12 to 5.40) time spent in bed were associated with a greater likelihood of being overweight/obese. In model 2, poor sleep quality (>5 points, OR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.83) was associated with a greater likelihood of being overweight/obese. After entering time spent in bed and sleep quality simultaneously into the model 3, both short (OR = 2.64; 95% CI 1.23 to 5.66) and long (OR = 3.27; 95% CI 2.04 to 5.23) time spent in bed and poor sleep quality (OR = 1.40; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.78) were associated with overweight/obesity status. Conclusions: Our results show that both short and long time spent in bed and poor sleep quality are associated with overweight/obesity status in young adults. Special interventions and policies that use both sleep duration and sleep quality as protective factors against overweight/obesity are warranted