Shorter leukocyte telomere length in midlife women with poor sleep quality.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study of sleep characteristics and leukocyte telomere length.
PubMed 22046530 · doi:10.4061/2011/721390
What was done
The authors examined associations between self-reported sleep duration, onset latency, and subjective sleep quality with leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in a community-dwelling sample of 245 healthy midlife women aged 49 to 66 years. Multivariable models adjusted for age, BMI, race, income, and, in a chronic sleep subgroup, perceived psychological stress.
What was found
Sleep duration and sleep onset latency were unrelated to LTL. Poorer subjective sleep quality significantly correlated with shorter LTL (r = 0.14, P = 0.03) and remained significant after adjusting for age, BMI, race, and income (b = 55.48, SE = 27.43, P = 0.04). In women with chronic sleep patterns, poor sleep quality predicted shorter LTL independent of covariates and perceived psychological stress.
Why it matters
This study provides early evidence that subjective sleep disruption is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length, suggesting a link between sleep quality and cellular aging.
Limits
The cross-sectional design prevents causal inference. Sleep characteristics were self-reported rather than objectively measured. The findings are based on a modest sample limited to healthy women aged 49-66, which limits generalizability to men and other populations, and the observed correlation was weak (r = 0.14).
Cited by
- supports Sleep deprivation has been associated with shorter telomeres.