Association of Cardiometabolic Risk and Sleep Quality among Adults with Self-reported Sleep Disordered Breathing: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) refers to the periodic disruption of breathing that occurs during sleep. As a result, the affected individuals experience poor sleep quality. The effects of the same include daytime fatigue, sleepiness, functional impairment, and an overall reduction in quality of life. Recently, several studies have linked SDB with obesity, diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the cardiometabolic risk and its correlation with sleep quality among individuals with and without self-reported SDB aged between 30-50 years. Materials and Methods: The present analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at SRM Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India, from January 2024 - April 2024. The study involved 136 participants irrespective of gender, aged between 30-50 years. Out of 136 participants, 68 were apparently healthy individuals without SDB, and the remaining 68 were individuals with self-reported SDB based on the Neck Circumference (NC), Obesity, Snoring, Age, and Sex (NoSAS) score. A score of ≥8 was considered SDB positive, and sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements such as Weight (kg), Height (cm), Waist Circumference (WC) (cm), Neck Circumference (NC) (cm) and Body Mass Index (BMI) (Kg/m2 ) were noted. Biochemical parameters such as Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and lipid profile [Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TGL), Low-density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), High-density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)] were also analysed. Descriptive statistics, student’s t test, MannWhitney U test, Spearman correlation test, Chi-square test were used to statistically analyse the data. Results: In the present study, the average age of SDB positive group was 40.88±6.04 years and SDB negative group was 41.20±5.6 years. The SDB positive group had a male to female ratio of 40:28 and the SDB negative group had a male to female ratio of 23:45. Furthermore, the SDB positive group had higher BMI, NC, WC, biochemical parameters (FPG, TC, TGL, LDL-C) as well as lower HDL-C levels and poor sleep quality, compared to the SDB negative group. Conclusion: Individuals with SDB had poorer sleep quality and a higher risk of developing CVD as exhibited by the elevated lipid parameters, compared with that of the SDB negative group. Future studies could focus on exploring the directionality and causality of the said associations.