Effects of Sleep Duration on Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Metabolic Syndrome Components in Korean Adults

Background: This study examines the impact of sleep duration on the incidence of metabolic syndrome in Korean adults.Methods: A total of 11,721 participants (5,263 male 6,458 female) aged 19–64 years from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included. Sleep duration was categorized as less than 7 hours, 7 to less than 9 hours, and 9 or more hours. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel-III criteria. Chisquare tests and logistic regression analysis were conducted to assess associations.Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 28.4%, higher in male (34.4%) than female (23.6%). The average sleep duration was 6.79±1.75 hours. In male, sleeping less than 6 hours increased the risk of metabolic syndrome by 1.54 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30–1.82) and abdominal obesity by 1.51 times (95% CI: 1.29–1.77). In premenopausal female, sleep under 7 hours increased the risk of metabolic syndrome by 1.28 times (95% CI: 1.06–1.55) and abdominal obesity by 1.41 times (95% CI: 1.20–1.66).Conclusions: Shorter sleep duration is linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome and abdominal obesity, highlighting the importance of adequate sleep for metabolic health.