Self-reported sleep duration and subclinical atherosclerosis in a general population of japanese men

Aim: There are few data regarding associations between sleep duration and subclinical atherosclerosis in Japan. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations of self-reported sleep duration with calcification in the coronary arteries (CAC) and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) in Japanese men. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of 1093 randomly selected men from Kusatsu City, Japan. Average sleep duration on weekdays was estimated through questionnaire; CAC by computed tomography; and carotid IMT by ultrasonography. Results: The prevalence of CAC was 50.0% for participants with sleep duration_＜5.5 h, 43.9% with 5.5 – 6.4 h, 50.0% with 6.5 –7.4 h, 49.3% with 7.5–8.4 h, and 62.5% with ≥8.5 h. In univariate analysis, participants with sleep duration ≥8.5 h had significantly higher prevalence of CAC than those with 6.5–7.4 h (p₌0.043). After adjustment for age and other risk factors, however, the association was not significant (p₌0.776). The average IMT was 0.85 mm for participants with sleep duration_＜5.5 h, 0.83 mm with 5.5–6.4 h, 0.85 mm with 6.5–7.4 h, 0.88 mm with 7.5–8.4 h, and 0.90 mm with ≥ 8.5 h. None of the differences in IMT observed in crude or multivariable-adjusted analyses was significant (all p_＞0.1). Conclusion: Self-reported sleep duration was not associated with increased CAC or carotid IMT in a general population of Japanese men.