Associations of "Life's Essential 8" and sleep apnea ‒ A cross-sectional study.

Background: sleep apnea is a prevalent global health issue. The relationship between Life's Essential 8 (LE8) ‒a composite metric of cardiovascular health (CVH)‒ and sleep apnea remains inadequately explored. This study investigates their association among U.S. adults using NHANES data. Methods: we included 12,685 participants from NHANES (2005-2008). Sleep apnea was assessed via questionnaire (items SLQ060, SLQ070A). The LE8 score (range 0-100), derived from eight health metrics, was categorized into low (0-49), moderate (50-79), and high (80-100) CVH. Results: LE8 scores were significantly lower in adults with sleep apnea. Each unit increase in LE8 score correlated with a 4 % reduced odds of sleep apnea (OR 0.96, 95 % CI: 0.95-0.96). Those with high CVH had 76 % lower risk than the low-CV group (OR 0.24, 95 % CI: 0.15-0.38). Subgroup analyses suggested stronger protective associations in women, non-elderly adults (16-60 years), and low-income participants (PIR < 1.3). Conclusion: higher LE8 scores are strongly associated with reduced sleep apnea prevalence, particularly in specific demographic subgroups. Promoting optimal CVH may help mitigate the burden of sleep apnea.