Nocturnal sleep duration and bone mineral density: a cross-sectional study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2014

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep duration and bone mineral density (BMD) and determine whether vitamin D (VD) status influenced the association between sleep duration and BMD. METHODS: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2014 participants aged ≥ 40 years were included in this study. BMD testing was conducted with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry examinations. Moreover, all individuals were divided into four groups according to self-reported nocturnal sleep duration (7–8 h; 6 h; < 6 h; and > 8 h). In addition, the differences in BMD between the normal sleep duration group and other groups were calculated using multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: Overall, the median age of the overall study population was 55.00 years old, with 46.97% of men distributed. Participants sleeping > 8 h/night had lower BMDs than those sleeping 7–8 h/night. Moreover, the association between unhealthy sleep duration (especially > 8 h/night) and low BMD was more pronounced in older individuals, men, postmenopausal women, and subjects with inadequate VD intakes (< 15.00 µg/day) or deficient/insufficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (< 75.00 nmol/L). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, unhealthy sleep duration, especially long sleep duration, was associated with decreased BMD, particularly among individuals aged > 60 years, men, or postmenopausal women. Moreover, VD status might influence the association between sleep duration and BMD, especially in the context of inadequate VD intake or deficient/insufficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. However, given the limitations of the present study, further investigation is warranted to confirm this association and to explore potential mechanisms. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12902-022-01259-1.