Persistent, Not Variable, Short Sleep Tied to Cardiovascular Events in Older Chinese Adults
In a CHARLS cohort of 11,050 Chinese adults aged 45+, persistent short sleep was associated with more cardiovascular events than persistent optimal sleep; variable short sleep was not. High CHG index plus persistent short sleep marked the highest joint-risk group. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Sleep trajectories were classified as persistent optimal, variable short, persistent short, optimal-to-short, or other patterns. [1]
Persistent short sleep was associated with higher cardiovascular risk than persistent optimal sleep, while variable short sleep was not. [1]
High CHG combined with persistent short sleep identified the highest joint-risk group. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Observational cohort study (CHARLS); abstract only.
- Population / context
- 11,050 CHARLS participants aged 45 years or older, free of heart disease and stroke through 2015, with sleep data from at least two 2011–2015 waves and 2018 or 2020 follow-up.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- October 11, 2026
Sleep trajectories and cardiovascular events in CHARLS adults
The study asked whether repeated sleep patterns, not a single measurement, relate to new cardiovascular events in middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Sleep trajectories were classified as persistent optimal, variable short, persistent short, optimal-to-short, or other patterns. Events were self-reported physician-diagnosed heart disease or stroke. This is an observational cohort, so associations do not show that short sleep causes events.
Supporting source [1]
Persistent short sleep versus variable short sleep risk
Among 11,050 participants free of heart disease and stroke through 2015, 1,923 events occurred over 51,330 person-years. Compared with persistent optimal sleep, persistent short sleep was associated with higher risk (hazard ratio 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.42), while variable short sleep was not (1.03, 0.88–1.21). Estimates were similar in sensitivity analyses.
Supporting source [1]
CHG index and sex findings in exploratory analyses
The cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and glucose (CHG) index was modestly associated with events after adjustment for sleep trajectory (hazard ratio per standard deviation 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.11). High CHG combined with persistent short sleep marked the highest joint-risk group (1.35, 1.08–1.69). In exploratory sex-stratified analyses, persistent versus variable short sleep carried higher risk among women (1.30, 1.04–1.64) but not men.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. Events were self-reported physician diagnoses. Sex-stratified findings were exploratory. As an observational cohort, it shows associations, not causation.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Wang Z, Fan X, Chen L, Shi Y, Shao Q. · europepmc.org · October 11, 2026