Background
Sleep duration is associated with various health conditions, including chronic kidney disease. However, the association between sleep duration and decline in kidney function in the South Korean population remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of sleep duration on kidney function decline in adult patients with hypertension.
Methods
This cohort study was performed using data obtained from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study; 2,837 patients with hypertension who initially had normal kidney function were included. Glomerular filtration rates (GFRs) were estimated at baseline and throughout the 16 years of follow-up. A person was considered to have a decline in kidney function if they had a GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m². Sleep duration data were obtained through interviewer-assisted questionnaires. Sleep durations were classified as short (<6 hours), normal (≥6 hours but <9 hours), and long (≥9 hours). The Cox proportional hazards model was applied, with adjustments for covariates.
Results
After adjusting for covariates, sleep duration was not associated with a decline in kidney function. However, among men with poorly controlled hypertension at baseline, compared to men with normal sleep durations, men with sleep durations <6 hours had a significantly higher risk of kidney function decline (hazard ratio, 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.36).
Conclusion
Short sleep duration did not seem to be associated with an increased risk of decline in kidney function; however, it may be a risk factor for the decline in kidney function in men with poorly controlled hypertension.

Citations

• Sleep Duration and Chronic Kidney Disease Among Older US Adults
  Shirmila Syamala, Unnikrishnan Pillai, Nasseer A. Masoodi
  American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• The risk of chronic kidney disease or proteinuria with long or short sleep duration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
  Meng Hu, Yongchong Wang, Wen Zhu, Xiaozhen Chen
  Clinical and Experimental Nephrology.2025; 29(3): 301.     CrossRef
• RETRACTED ARTICLE: Short or long sleep duration was associated with chronic kidney disease in the general population
  Gang Wang, Ning Zhuo, Zhichun Liu
  International Urology and Nephrology.2024; 56(7): 2441.     CrossRef
• The association of sleep duration with the risk of chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  Jin Hean Koh, Brian Sheng Yep Yeo, Timothy Wei En Tan, Mark Yong Siang See, Adele Chin Wei Ng, Shaun Ray Han Loh, Joshua Gooley, Chieh Suai Tan, Song Tar Toh
  Clinical Kidney Journal.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Association of plant and animal protein intake with sleep quality and quality of life in hemodialysis patients: a multicenter cross-sectional study
  Saber Jafari Maskouni, Hossein Bavi Behbahani, Meysam Alipour, Ahmad Zare Javid, Fatemeh Fayazfar, Pardis Tofighzadeh, Shiva Shokri, Sara Keramatzadeh, Haleh Soltaniyan Dehkordi, Morteza Sharifat, Siavash Babajafari Esfandabad, Shokouh Shayanpour
  Frontiers in Nutrition.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef