The Association of Different Types of Physical Activity and Sleep Disorder: Analysis from NHANES 2017-2018

Abstract Background: Sleep disorder is an important psychological and public health burden, which seriously endangers physical and psychological health. Physical activities are closely related to sleep disorder, while different types of physical activities may have different effects on sleep disorder. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of different types of physical activity on sleep disorder independent from each other. Materials and Methods: We extracted data from NHANES 2017-2018, including demographic characteristics, sleep disorder and physical activity. A total of 4157 adults aged 20 years or older (mean age 51.05 ± 17.52 years, 2029 males and 2128 females) was included. Types of physical activity (work, transportation, recreational physical activity and sedentary behavior) were defined and assessed by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ); sleep disorder was assessed by patient self-report in the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ). Chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis tests was used to compare differences between groups; the associations of each type of physical activity and sleep disorder were analyzed through binary Logistic regressions. Results: 1) 1211 participants were found to have sleep disorder, accounting for 29.1% of the total sample size; 2) There were significant differences in work physical activity (P=0.043), sedentary behavior (P<0.001) and recreational physical activity (P=0.001) among sleep disorder, the difference of transportation physical activity was close to significant (P=0.055). 3) Work physical activity (OR=1.249, 95% CI: 1.126-1.385, P<0.001) and sedentary behavior (OR=1.524, 95% CI: 1.330-1.745, P<0.001) were positively associated with sleep disorder, while recreational physical activity (OR=0.776, 95% Cl: 0.700-0.860, P<0.001) was negatively associated. Conclusions: 1) There are no significant associations between transportation physical activity and sleep disorder. 2) Both work physical activity and sedentary behavior are risk factors for sleep disorder. 3) Recreational physical activity is a protective factor for sleep disorder.