Circadian rhythm profiles derived from accelerometer measures of the sleep-wake cycle in two cohort studies

Accelerometers allow objective measures of dimensions (rest-activity rhythm (RAR), daytime activity, sleep, and chronotype) of the bio-behavioural manifestation of circadian rhythm (CR) using multiple metrics in large-scale studies. These dimensions are rarely examined together due to methodological challenges of using correlated data. To address this challenge, we propose a two-step approach consisting of data reduction of CR metrics using principal component analyses, followed by k-means clustering to identify groups of individuals with a similar profile using data from the Whitehall II (N = 3,991, mean age=69.4years) and UK Biobank (N = 54,995, mean age=67.5years) cohort studies. Our analyses identified nine CR clusters: two presented extreme (most robust/poorest) RAR and (highest/lowest) daytime activity, two robust RAR with opposite sleep profiles (longer and efficient/shorter and fragmented), one high-intensity physical activity, and four poor RAR (one characterised by late chronotype, two by low activity but opposite sleep profiles, and one by restless (agitated) sleep). The participants in these nine clusters differed on sociodemographic, behavioural and health-related factors. Findings were similar in these two independent cohort studies, highlighting the validity of our approach. Most previous studies have used only the RAR dimension of circadian rhythm, and here we show that this might be an oversimplification as demonstrated by nine clusters characterised by combinations of RAR, daytime activity, sleep, and chronotype. Our innovative approach demonstrates feasibility of using all dimensions to study the impact of circadian rhythm dysregulation on health.