Association of sleep duration and noise exposure with hearing loss among Chinese and American adults: two cross-sectional studies

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the associations of sleep duration (SPD) and noise exposure with hearing loss (HL) among Chinese and American adults.DesignTwo cross-sectional studies.SettingThe National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2012), and Zhejiang Chinese participants between 1 January 2018 and 1 November 2021.Participants3322 adults from the USA and 4452 adults from Zhejiang, China.Main outcome measuresHL was defined as a pure-tone average >20 dB in the better ear at low frequency (500, 1000 and 2000 Hz), speech frequency (500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz) or high frequency (3000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz). Binary logistic regression analysis quantified the associations between SPD, noise exposure (at work or off-work) and HL.ResultsSPD ≥8 hours/night had an OR of 0.71 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.84) for high-frequency HL vs. an SPD of 6–8 hours/night among the Chinese participants but had an OR of 1.28 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.58) among American participants. Noise exposure (both at work and off-work) was associated with poorer low-frequency (OR 1.58, 1.43; p<0.05), speech-frequency (OR 1.63, 1.29; p<0.05) and high-frequency (OR 1.37, 1.23; p<0.05) hearing among the Chinese participants; and it was associated with worse high-frequency hearing (OR 1.43, 1.66; p<0.05) among the American participants. The negative relationship between SPD ≥8 hours/night and HL was mainly observed in the Chinese participants with noise exposure (OR <1, p<0.05), and SPD ≥8 hours/night associated with poorer HF hearing was only identified in the American participants without noise exposure (OR >1, p<0.05).ConclusionsNoise exposure was associated with poorer hearing. SPD ≥8 hours/night was negatively associated with HL in the Chinese participants especially when exposed to noise. SPD ≥8 hours/night was related to poorer high-frequency hearing in the American participants when they had no noise exposure.

Association of nocturnal sleep duration and midday napping with subjective poor hearing among middle-aged and older adults in China

“…The associations were independent of gender, age, marital status, education level, area of residence, smoking status, drinking status, BMI, social participation, baseline health condition and sleep quality. A few population-based studies provided insights into the heterogeneous effects of nocturnal sleep duration (26)(27)(28)(29). Some studies reported that long duration of nocturnal sleep could be a sign of high HL risk (26,27).…”

“…A few population-based studies provided insights into the heterogeneous effects of nocturnal sleep duration (26)(27)(28)(29). Some studies reported that long duration of nocturnal sleep could be a sign of high HL risk (26,27). A recent article revealed an association between nocturnal sleep with ≤ 4 h (OR: 1.53, 95%CI: 1.31, 1.80) and HL in comparison to the 7 h group (26).…”

“…A recent article revealed an association between nocturnal sleep with ≤ 4 h (OR: 1.53, 95%CI: 1.31, 1.80) and HL in comparison to the 7 h group ( 26 ). Wu et al ( 27 ) found that among the Chinese participants, sleep duration < 6 h/night was positively associated with high-frequency HL (OR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.05, 2.03) and speech-frequency HL (OR: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.83). The results of our research supported that people who slept with shorter time may have a higher risk of HL incidences by longitudinal analysis.…”

“…Research from China and America have suggested the U-shaped linkage between nocturnal sleep duration and HL that the risk of HL increased with sleeping shorter than 6 or longer than 8 h/night ( 26 , 27 ). The other work demonstrated different results.…”

Persistently short or long sleep duration increases the risk of sensory impairment in Chinese older adults

“…Both sleep deprivation and excessive sleep are associated with VI ( 12 ). A study conducted among Chinese individuals indicated that a daily sleep duration ≥8 h is significantly associated with HI ( 13 ). Similarly, a study involving 632 individuals aged ≥70 years reported that a sleep duration of >8 h is associated with increased hearing thresholds ( 14 ).…”