Individual sleep dimensions have been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and cardiometabolic health (CMH), but sleep health is multifaceted. We investigated associations of a multidimensional sleep health (MDSH) score, enabling the assessment of sleep health gradients, with CVD and CMH. Participants were 4555 adults aged ≥20 years from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A MDSH score, capturing poor, moderate, and ideal sleep was computed from self-reported sleep duration, sleep regularity, difficulty falling asleep, symptoms of sleep disorders, and daytime sleepiness. Survey-weighted multivariable linear and logistic models examined associations of MDSH with CVD and CMH. Ideal and moderate vs. poor MDSH were related to lower odds of hypertension (62% and 41%), obesity (73% and 56%), and central adiposity (68% and 55%), respectively; a statistically significant linear trend was observed across gradients of MDSH (p-trend < 0.001). Ideal vs. moderate/poor MDSH was associated with 32% and 40% lower odds of prevalent CVD and type 2 diabetes, respectively. More favorable MDSH was associated with lower blood pressure, BMI, waist circumference, and fasting glucose. In sex-stratified analyses, ideal vs. moderate/poor MDSH was associated with lower CVD odds and blood pressure in women only. The MDSH framework may be more than just the sum of its parts and could better capture information regarding CVD risk.
Keywords: cardiovascular disease; central adiposity; hypertension; multidimensional sleep health; obesity; type 2 diabetes.