Sleep duration associated with altered oral microbiome diversity and composition in the NIH AARP cohort

The microbiome is proposed as a contributor to the adverse health impacts from altered sleep. The oral microbiome is a multifaceted microbial community that influences many health functions. However, data on the relationship between sleep and the oral microbiome are limited, and no studies have incorporated lifestyle and environmental exposures. Within a subset (N=1,139) of the NIH-AARP cohort, we examined the association between self-reported sleep duration and the oral microbiome via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Statistical models were adjusted for demographic characteristics. Additional models examined the role of various lifestyle and neighborhood exposures on the sleep-oral microbiome association. Compared to participants reporting the recommended 7-8 hours average sleep duration (n=702), those reporting short sleep (6 or fewer hours, n=284) had consistently decreased within-sample oral microbial diversity [e.g. number of observed amplicon sequence variants difference -8.681, p-value=0.009]. Several bacterial genera were more likely to be absent in the short sleep group. We found a higher relative abundance of Streptococcus and Rothia, and lower abundance of Fusobacterium, Atopobium, and Campylobacter in the short compared to the recommended sleep duration group. Results were consistent when controlling for lifestyle and neighborhood factors. Our findings provide evidence for an association of short sleep duration with oral microbial diversity and composition. This suggests that oral bacteria may play a possible mechanistic role related to sleep health. Improved understanding of physiological pathways can aid in the design of interventions that may beneficially improve overall sleep health. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Sleep Research Society 2025.

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