The association of multidimensional sleep health with adiposity in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Background: There are bi-directional relationships between sleep disturbances and obesity, both of which are prevalent in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, little is known about the sleep-obesity association in HFpEF. Objectives: To determine associations of multidimensional sleep health, night movement, sleep fragmentation, and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) risk with overall and regional adiposity in HFpEF patients. Methods: Men and women with HFpEF (n = 49) were assessed via 14-day actigraphy, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale to derive multidimensional sleep health. SDB risk was assessed via Berlin Questionnaire. Body composition was measured using anthropometry; MRI quantification of epicardial, abdominal, liver, and thigh adipose tissue was performed in a subsample (n = 22). Spearman correlation (rs) and linear regression analyses (β coefficient) were used to estimate bivariate and age-adjusted associations. Results: Multidimensional sleep health was inversely associated with BMI (rs = -0.50, p < .001; unadjusted: β = -4.00, 95%CI: -5.87, -2.13; age-adjusted: β = -2.48, 95%CI: -4.65, -0.30), thigh subcutaneous adipose tissue (rs = -0.50, p = .018; unadjusted: β = -36.95, 95%CI: -67.31, -6.59), and thigh intermuscular fat (age-adjusted: β = -0.24, 95%CI: -0.48, -0.01). Night movement and sleep fragmentation were associated with greater intermuscular thigh and lower liver fat. High SDB risk was associated with a higher visceral-to-subcutaneous ratio of abdominal adiposity and lower thigh adiposity. Conclusions: Adverse multidimensional sleep health is associated with higher adiposity measures in HFpEF patients. Further studies are needed to determine whether intervening on sleep could ameliorate excess adiposity or whether weight loss could improve sleep quality in HFpEF.