Associations of sleep duration with physical fitness performance and self-perception of health: a cross-sectional study of Taiwanese adults aged 23-45

Ming Gu; Chia-Chen Liu; Chi-Chieh Hsu; Chi-Jie Lu; Tian-Shyug Lee; Mingchih Chen; Chien-Chang Ho

doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10636-9

Associations of sleep duration with physical fitness performance and self-perception of health: a cross-sectional study of Taiwanese adults aged 23-45

BMC Public Health. 2021 Mar 25;21(1):594. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10636-9.

Authors

Ming Gu¹, Chia-Chen Liu^{2

3}, Chi-Chieh Hsu⁴, Chi-Jie Lu^{1

5

6}, Tian-Shyug Lee^{1

5}, Mingchih Chen^{1

5}, Chien-Chang Ho^{7

8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 24205, Taiwan.
² Department of Physical Education, National Taichung University of Education, No.140, Minsheng Rd., West Dist., Taichung City, 40306, Taiwan (R.O.C.). jamesliu@gm.ntcu.edu.tw.
³ Department of Physical Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, 10610, Taiwan. jamesliu@gm.ntcu.edu.tw.
⁴ Department of Aquatic Sports, University of Taipei, Taipei City, 11153, Taiwan.
⁵ Artificial Intelligence Development Center, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 24205, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Information Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 242304, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 24205, Taiwan.
⁸ Research and Development Center for Physical Education, Health, and Information Technology, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 24205, Taiwan.
⁹ Office of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, 24205, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: The relationship between sleep duration and physical fitness is one aspect of sleep health. Potential factors associated with sleep duration interfere with physical fitness performance, but the impact trends on physical fitness indicators remain unclear.

Methods: This study examined associations between sleep duration and physical fitness among young to middle-aged adults in Taiwan. A total of 42,781 Taiwanese adults aged 23-45 participated in the National Physical Fitness Examination Survey 2013 (NPFES-2013) in Taiwan between October 2013 and March 2014. A standardized structural questionnaire was used to record participants' sleep duration, which was stratified as short (< 6 h/day (h/d)), moderate (6-7 h/d; 7-8 h/d; 8-9 h), and long (≥ 9 h/d) sleep duration groups. Physical fitness was assessed based on four components: body composition (body mass index [BMI], waist-to-height ratio [WHtR], and waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]), muscle strength and endurance (1-min bent-leg sit-up test [BS]), flexibility (sit-and-reach test [SR]), and cardiorespiratory endurance index (3-min step test [CEI]).

Results: By using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), after sex grouping and age adjustment, we observed that sleep duration was significantly associated with obesity, functional fitness, and self-perception of health. The sleep duration for low obesity-related values (BMI, WHtR, and WHR) for men was 7-9 h/d, and that for women was 7-8 h/d. Sleeping more than 8 h/d showed poor functional fitness performances (BS and SR). For both sexes, sleep duration of 8-9 h/d was the optimal sleep duration for self-perceptions of health.

Conclusions: Our research found that there were wide and different associations of sleep duration with physical fitness and self-perception of health among Taiwanese adults aged 23-45, and there were differences in these associated manifestations between men and women. This study could be of great importance in regional public health management in Taiwan, and provide inspirations for clinical research on physical fitness.

Keywords: Adults; Functional fitness; Obesity; Physical fitness; Self-perception of health; Sleep duration; Taiwan.

MeSH terms

Adult
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Physical Fitness*
Self Concept*
Sleep
Taiwan / epidemiology
Young Adult