Self-reported sleep duration is associated with reduced glomerular filtration rate among adults with hypertension: a population-based study from rural northeast China

Short sleep duration has been found recently to be a predictor of proteinuria. However, population-based investigations addressing the association between self-reported sleep duration and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) among hypertensive patients are lacking. We therefore sought to investigate the extent to which self-reported sleep duration might be associated with reduced GFR in a large hypertensive population in rural northeast China. A total of 5555 hypertensive participants, aged 35years, in rural areas of Liaoning Province, China, were screened between January 2012 and August 2013, using a stratified, cluster multi-stage sampling scheme. Anthropometric measurements, self-reported sleep duration, blood biochemical indexes and other health-related variables were collected by medically trained personnel. Reduced GFR was defined as the estimated GFR (eGFR)<60mLmin(-1)1.73m(2). On average, participants slept for 6.9 +/- 1.6h per night. Mean self-reported sleep duration decreased with eGFR (P<0.001). For both genders, a lower prevalence of reduced GFR was observed among participants who slept 6h per night in total. In the multivariable regression model, after adjustments for age, gender, ethnicity, lifestyle factors, clinical correlates, depressive symptoms and general quality of life, participants who slept for 6h or less per night were associated with a higher risk of reduced GFR [odds ratio (OR: 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-2.73] compared with the reference group (self-reported sleep duration >7 and 8hday(-1)). We concluded that short self-reported sleep duration (6h per night) was related significantly to an increased risk of reduced GFR in a hypertensive population. This novel risk factor should be taken into consideration during daily management of hypertension to prevent chronic kidney disease.