Association between sleep duration and musculoskeletal pain: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2015

Both extremely long and short sleep durations have been associated with increased risk of numerous health problems. This study examined the association between self-reported sleep duration and reporting of musculoskeletal pain in the adult Korean population. This study included data from 17,108 adults aged ≥50 years, obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2012 and 2013–2015. Self-reported daily hours slept and the presence of musculoskeletal pain in knee joint, hip joint, or low back were examined. Patients were stratified into 5 groups by their sleep duration: ≤5, 6, 7, 8, or ≥9 h. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for covariates including age, sex, marital status, smoking, alcohol use, family income level, education, physical exercise, body mass index (BMI), and stress level. A U-shaped relationship was observed between the length of sleep duration and the presence of musculoskeletal pain. After adjusting for covariates, sleep duration of ≤5 h or ≥9 h was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain experienced for more than 30 days over a 3-month period. We also found that the presence of multi-site musculoskeletal pain was significantly higher among those who slept for ≤5 h or ≥9 h than in those who slept for 7 h. These findings suggest that either short or long sleep duration is associated with musculoskeletal pain among Korean adults.