Sleep Quality Is Associated with Vitamin B12 Status in Female Arab Students

Abstract

Studies have explored how vitamin B12 status affects sleep among elders and children, but this remains to be investigated among young adults. We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess the association between serum vitamin B12 and sleep among female college students in Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 355 participants (age (years), 20.7 ± 1.5; body mass index, 23.6 kg/m2 ± 5.2) at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fasting blood samples were analyzed regarding the serum vitamin B12 and blood lipids. Anthropometric, socio-demographic, clinical history, stress, physical activity, and dietary data were collected. We assessed the sleep statuses of the participants using the PSQI. Around 72% of the participants were “poor” sleepers (PSQI > 5). Subgroup analysis within the tertiles showed that participants with higher vitamin B12 in the second and third tertiles reported better scores for sleep quality (B ± SE = −12.7 ± 5.6, p = 0.03; B ± SE = −32.7 ± 16.4, p = 0.05, respectively) and also reported a lower use of sleep medication (B ± SE = −21.2 ± 9.9, p = 0.03, in the second tertile only), after adjusting for the waist–hip ratio and stress. However, sleep was not found to be directly associated with either serum vitamin B12 or dietary vitamin B12. In conclusion, the serum vitamin B12 results show that the participants with higher vitamin B12 in the second and third tertiles reported better scores on the sleep quality scale and a lower use of sleep medication. However, no such associations were observed with the overall PSQI. More studies with larger sample sizes are needed to establish a direct relationship between sleep and vitamin B12.

Association of Vitamin B12 Levels with Sleep Quality, Insomnia, and Sleepiness in Adult Primary Healthcare Users in Greece

“…These findings appear to align with a previous investigation involving 355 Arabian female students, which discovered a negative association between serum vitamin B12 levels and sleep latency. Participants in the same study exhibiting higher serum vitamin B12 levels ranging from 333.1 to 482.2 also reported a decreased use of sleep medication [24]. In addition, a lower intake of vitamin B12 seemed to be associated with a delayed sleep-wake rhythm [28] and a higher prevalence of insomnia symptoms, assessed by the Insomnia Screening Questionnaire [36].…”

“…Therefore, it is a micronutrient worth considering when examining modifiable factors that are linked to sleep disturbances. However, there are few studies exploring the relationship between serum vitamin B12 and sleep health [21,23,24]. Despite the lack of conclusive evidence in earlier studies [20,[25][26][27], more recent research points toward a negative correlation between serum vitamin B12 levels and sleep duration [23,28].…”

Association of methyl donor nutrients dietary intake and sleep disorders in the elderly revealed by the intestinal microbiome

“…15,16 SD, prevalent among neurological disorders in the elderly, may be potentially mitigated by MDNs supplementation. [17][18][19][20] For example, glycine supplementation has been shown to improve subjective sleep quality 21 and enhance deeper sleep phases. 22 However, to date, no study has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the association between dietary intake of MDNs and SD.…”

The Relationship Between Some Anthropometric Measurement and Blood Values with Sleep Status of Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes

“…6 Uzun süreli uyku yoksunluğunun obezite ve pek çok kronik hastalıklar için önemli bir risk faktörü olduğu bilinmektedir. 7,8 Yapılan çalışmalarda günlük 6 saatin altında kısa uyku süresinin hem erkek hem de kadınlarda beden kütle indeksi (BKİ) ile pozitif yönde ilişkili olduğu görülmüştür. 9,10 Yapılan bir başka çalışmada uzun süreli uyku yoksunluğunun metabolik sendrom riskini 1,40 kat arttırdığı tespit edilmiştir.…”