The study aimed to explore the association between sleep duration, insomnia symptoms and the components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among middle-aged and older adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted in five community health centers and physical check-up centers of two comprehensive hospitals in Guangdong. We recruited 1252 participants (658 female), aged 40-96 years and with a body mass index (BMI) of 16.26-35.56 kg/m2. MetS was assessed based on the guidelines of the International Diabetes Federation. Self-reported sleep duration was evaluated by a simplified questionnaire. Compared with the participants who slept 6-8 h/day, those who slept shorter (<6 h/day) or longer (>8 h/day) periods of time with or without insomnia symptoms had significantly increased odds ratios (ORs) of high blood pressure (except for the SBP in model 2) and high triglycerides (TGs) in all models (p < 0.05), whereas the participants who slept longer (>8 h/day) or shorter (<6 h/day) periods of time with insomnia symptoms had significantly increased ORs of low HDL-C in all models (p < 0.05), but non-significant in those without insomnia symptoms. BMI is significant for insomnia symptoms but not for sleep duration. Our study indicated that the association of sleep duration with MetS components was partially associated with insomnia symptoms. These findings have significant implications to explore the appropriate sleep duration for adults.
Keywords: cross-sectional study; daily sleep duration; insomnia symptoms; metabolic syndrome.