Obesity is often associated with impaired sleep, whereas the impact of body mass index (BMI) at younger age and previous weight gain on sleep problems remains unknown.
The present study utilized data from the Swedish EpiHealth cohort study. A total of 15845 participants (45-75 years) filled out an internet-based questionnaire. BMI was calculated from both measured data at study time and self-reported data at age 20 from the questionnaire.
Sleep-related symptoms were most common among obese individuals (BMI > 30 kg/m2). An association between weight gain and sleep problems was found and those with a low BMI at age 20 were most vulnerable to weight gain when it came to risk of sleep problems. Among those who were underweight (BMI