Objectively regular sleep patterns and mortality in a prospective cohort: The Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

SummaryIrregular sleep and non‐optimal sleep duration separately have been shown to be associated with increased disease and mortality risk. We used data from the prospective cohort Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis sleep study (2010–2013) to investigate: do aging adults whose sleep is objectively high in regularity in timing and duration, and of sufficient duration tend to have increased survival compared with those whose sleep is lower in regularity and duration, in a diverse US sample? At baseline, sleep was measured by 7‐day wrist actigraphy, concurrent with at‐home polysomnography and questionnaires. Objective metrics of sleep regularity and duration from actigraphy were used for statistical clustering using sparse k‐means clustering. Two sleep patterns were identified: “regular‐optimal” (average duration: 7.0 ± 1.0 hr obtained regularly) and “irregular‐insufficient” (duration: 5.8 ± 1.4 hr obtained with twice the irregularity). Using proportional hazard models with multivariate adjustment, we estimated all‐cause mortality hazard ratios. Among 1759 participants followed for a median of 7.0 years (Q1–Q3, 6.4–7.4 years), 176 deaths were recorded. The “regular‐optimal” group had a 39% lower mortality hazard than did the “irregular‐insufficient” sleep group (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.61 [0.45, 0.83]) after adjusting for socio‐demographics, lifestyle, medical comorbidities and sleep disorders. In conclusion, a “regular‐optimal” sleep pattern was significantly associated with a lower hazard of all‐cause mortality. The regular‐optimal phenotype maps behaviourally to regular bed and wake times, suggesting sleep benefits of adherence to recommended healthy sleep practices, with further potential benefits for longevity.