Sleep is associated with telomere shortening: A population‐based longitudinal study

Summary As the chronological age increases, there is a decrease in the telomere length (TL). Associations between TL and age‐related diseases have been described. Since the major pathophysiological factors related to inadequate sleep (including sleep complaints and sleep disorders) contribute to the exacerbation of inflammation and oxidative stress, an association of sleep and TL has been proposed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between sleep‐related variables with TL in a longitudinal framework. We used data derived from the EPISONO cohort, which was followed over 8 years. All individuals answered sleep‐related questionnaires, underwent a full‐night polysomnography (PSG), and had their blood collected for DNA extraction. The TL was measured through a quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity status, and the 10 principal components (ancestry estimate) were considered covariables. Of the 1042 individuals in the EPISONO cohort, 68.3% agreed to participate in the follow‐up study ( n = 712). Baseline SpO 2 (ß = 0.008, p = 0.007), medium SpO 2 (ß = 0.013, p = 0.013), and total sleep time <90% (ß = −0.122, p = 0.012) had an effect on TL from the follow‐up. The 8 year TL attrition was inversely associated with total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep architecture variables, wake after sleep onset, arousal index, oxygen‐related variables baseline, and the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We conclude that individuals with worse sleep quality, alterations in sleep architecture, and OSA had greater TL attrition over the 8 years. Using a longitudinal approach, these findings confirm previous cross‐sectional evidence linking sleep with accelerated biological ageing.