Association between sleep duration and musculoskeletal pain: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2015

Abstract

Both extremely long and short sleep durations have been associated with increased risk of numerous health problems. This study examined the association between self-reported sleep duration and reporting of musculoskeletal pain in the adult Korean population. This study included data from 17,108 adults aged ≥50 years, obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2012 and 2013-2015. Self-reported daily hours slept and the presence of musculoskeletal pain in knee joint, hip joint, or low back were examined. Patients were stratified into 5 groups by their sleep duration: ≤5, 6, 7, 8, or ≥9h. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for covariates including age, sex, marital status, smoking, alcohol use, family income level, education, physical exercise, body mass index (BMI), and stress level. A U-shaped relationship was observed between the length of sleep duration and the presence of musculoskeletal pain. After adjusting for covariates, sleep duration of ≤5h or ≥9h was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain experienced for more than 30 days over a 3-month period. We also found that the presence of multi-site musculoskeletal pain was significantly higher among those who slept for ≤5h or ≥9h than in those who slept for 7h. These findings suggest that either short or long sleep duration is associated with musculoskeletal pain among Korean adults.