# Association between sleep duration on workdays and kidney stone expulsion in US adults: insights from the national health and nutrition examination survey 2007–2020

## TL;DR

This study found that longer sleep on workdays is linked to a lower chance of kidney stone expulsion in US adults.

## Contribution

The study reveals a non-linear relationship between workday sleep duration and kidney stone expulsion using a large national dataset.

## Key findings

- Longer workday sleep duration is associated with reduced odds of kidney stone expulsion.
- Sleep beyond seven hours shows a sharp decrease in kidney stone expulsion likelihood.
- Optimizing sleep may improve conservative kidney stone management.

## Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between weekdays/workdays sleep duration (SDW) and kidney stone expulsion (KSE) in adults with kidney stones.

We utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 2007 to March 2020 (pre-pandemic). Adults aged ≥20 years with confirmed kidney stones were included. SDW served as the primary exposure variable, while KSE was the outcome. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression were employed to explore the SDW-KSE relationship.

A total of 2,040 participants with KSE and 1,966 without KSE were analyzed. In both unadjusted and fully adjusted logistic regression models, SDW was significantly associated with a lower odds of KSE (OR: 0.81 [0.77, 0.84] and 0.80 [0.74, 0.86], respectively). RCS analysis showed a non-linear association between SDW and KSE (p = 0.01). In the fully adjusted model, the odds of KSE decreased sharply with SDW beyond seven hours (OR: 0.69 [0.59, 0.80]).

In this nationally representative sample, longer SDW was associated with a reduced likelihood of KSE. However, given the cross-sectional nature of our study, this association does not imply causality. Further experimental and longitudinal research is needed to elucidate the causal pathways and underlying mechanisms linking SDW and KSE.

•Longer workdays sleep is linked to a lower rate of kidney stone expulsion in adults.•Sleep duration beyond seven hours reduces the likelihood of kidney stone expulsion.•Optimising sleep may help improve conservative management of kidney stones.

Longer workdays sleep is linked to a lower rate of kidney stone expulsion in adults.

Sleep duration beyond seven hours reduces the likelihood of kidney stone expulsion.

Optimising sleep may help improve conservative management of kidney stones.