Metabolic risk factors and Posttraumatic stress disorder: The role of sleep in young, healthy adults

Abstract

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with indicators of poor physical health and sleep disturbance. This study investigated the relationship between PTSD and metabolic risk factors and examined the role of sleep duration in medically healthy and medication-free adults. Methods: Participants with PTSD (n = 44, mean age = 30.6 years) and control participants free of lifetime psychiatric history (n = 50, mean age = 30.3 years) recorded sleep using sleep diary for 10 nights and actigraphy for 7 nights. We assessed metabolic risk factors including fasting triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as abdominal fat using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Results: PTSD was associated with shorter sleep duration (based on self-report, not actigraphy) and higher metabolic risks (controlling for body fat percentage), including increased triglycerides (p =.03), total cholesterol (p