Influence of occupation type on the association between sleep duration and impaired fasting glucose: results from a Chinese population-based study

OBJECTIVES: Systematic evaluation of the influence of occupation type on the association between sleep–glucose metabolism DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: The Nantong Metabolic Syndrome Study is a Chinese population-based study. PARTICIPANTS: 20 502 participants aged 18–74 years old. INTERVENTION: No intervention. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Impaired fasting glucose (IFG). RESULTS: A total of 1503 participants (7.33%) with a slightly longer sleep duration had IFG. After being stratified according to occupation, a sleep duration of ≥10 hours daily corresponded to a 1.321-fold risk of IFG (95% CI 1.071 to 1.628, p=0.0092) among moderate and heavy physical workers compared with those with a daily sleep duration of 7–9 hours. There was no significant relationship between sleep and IFG among other types of workers. Moreover, we discovered a gender difference in the influence of occupation on the sleep–IFG. A positive association among moderate and heavy physical men and a negative association among light or sedentary men were established, but not in unemployed men. However, a positive association was evident only in unemployed women; there was no significant association among other occupations. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the role of occupation in the relationship of sleep–glucose metabolism. A gender difference was found to have been influenced by occupational types on the sleep–metabolic association.