Ni J, Zhou W, Cen H, et al. - This study generates consistent evidence supporting that increased insomnia or short sleep duration has an adverse impact on the risk of osteoarthritis (OA). Observations imply that strategies to mitigate sleep disturbances could be one of the cornerstones protecting against OA.

• Through univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, the causal associations of sleep disturbances with OA risk were examined using genetically based approaches.

• In univariable MR analysis, genetically determined insomnia or short sleep duration was shown to exert a causal impact on overall OA in an unfavorable manner (Insomnia: OR=1.22; Short sleep duration: OR=1.04).

• An association was found between more compelling, increasing genetic liability to insomnia or short sleep duration and OA risk, after accounting for impacts of insomnia or short sleep duration on body mass index, type 2 diabetes and depression individually, and in an integrated model considering all three confounders.