Associations of Sedentary Time With Insufficient Sleep on Weekdays and Weekends among U.S. Adults: Findings From NHANES 2021–2023

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the duration of sedentary behavior and insufficient sleep among adults on both weekdays and weekends. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2021 and 2023 were analyzed. Sedentary time was categorized into three groups: less than 6 hours, 6–8 hours, and more than 8 hours per day. Insufficient sleep was operationally defined in this study as less than 6 hours per night. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed, adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, education, and health status. Among the 11,933 adults analyzed, sedentary time of 6–8 hours was associated with higher odds of achieving sufficient sleep during weekdays, whereas sedentary time exceeding 8 hours per day did not show a significant association with weekday sleep. Conversely, on weekends, sedentary time exceeding 8 hours per day was significantly associated with lower odds of sufficient sleep in minimally adjusted models (Models 1–2: β = −0.19 to −0.16, p < 0.05), while showing a non-significant trend in the fully adjusted model (Model 3: β = −0.09, 95% CI: −0.19 to 0.01, p = 0.07). Subgroup analyses revealed that prolonged sedentary time was associated with lower odds of adequate sleep among males, females, those aged 18–60, individuals with low savings, poor health, and overweight status. These findings represent cross-sectional associations and should be interpreted with caution due to the reliance on self-reported sleep measures and the potential for unrecognized sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).