Sleep and circadian health in the UK Biobank: Report on the 2023 sleep questionnaire enhancement

Poor sleep quality and operationally defined sleep disorders are common in the UK Biobank cohort. Sleep questionnaire data can now be integrated with a range of biomedical information to advance understanding of sleep. Statement of significance A comprehensive sleep questionnaire was introduced to the UK Biobank, with over 185,000 participants providing data. Overall, respondents reported relatively poor sleep quality; 40% reported sleep duration less than 7 hours, and 25% met criteria for at least one sleep disorder. Enhanced assessment of sleep in UK Biobank now enables integration with extensive biomedical data, including genetic, wearable, imaging, lifestyle, biomarker, and electronic health record data, offering opportunities to investigate the biological and environmental factors that influence sleep and circadian systems, and their impact on health.