To Study the Association between Duration of Sleep and BMI in Young Indian Adults.

Introduction: Sleep is a physiological function, considered essential for functions like growth, tissue repair, learning and consolidation of memory. It is a significant determinant of various anthropometric parameters besides conventional factors like level of physical activity, dietary habits and genetic composition of an individual. An average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep/day. Aim: To determine the effect of duration of sleep and level of physical activity on various anthropometric parameters. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 408 subjects, divided into two groups, based on their sleep duration: adequate sleep duration (≥7 hours/day) and inadequate sleep duration (<7 hours/day). The subjects were also assessed for their daytime sleepiness and level of physical activity using the ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and GPPAQ (General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire) respectively. Various anthropometric measurements were done in each of the subjects: weight, height, hip circumference, waist circumference, Waist/ Hip ratio (W/H) ratio and Body Mass Index (BMI). Chi-Square test was used to compare the data between the two groups. Results: There was no statistical difference in the ESS scores when comparison was made between the two groups. Most of the subjects were found to be moderately physically active in both the groups. All the anthropometric parameters except the W/H ratio were found to be higher in those getting inadequate sleep. Conclusion: Participants sleeping for less than 7 hours/day were found to have higher anthropometric parameters in comparison to those getting adequate sleep. Duration of sleep was found to be negatively correlated with most of the parameters, but its significance could only be established for HC and W/H ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]