Does the Proximity of Meals to Bedtime Influence the Sleep of Young Adults? A Cross-Sectional Survey of University Students

Nikola Chung, Yu Sun Bin, Peter A. Cistulli and Chin Moi Chow
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Nikola Chung: Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
Yu Sun Bin: Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
Peter A. Cistulli: Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
Chin Moi Chow: Sleep Research Group, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Avoiding food before bedtime is a widely accepted sleep hygiene practice, yet few studies have assessed meal timing as a risk factor for disrupted sleep. This study examined the relationship between evening meal timing and sleep quality in young adults. A total of N = 793 participants (26% male) aged between 18 and 29 years responded to an online survey, which captured sociodemographic information, lifestyle variables, and sleep characteristics. Meal timing was defined as meals more than 3 h before or within 3 h of bedtime. The outcomes were as follows: one or more nocturnal awakenings, sleep onset latency of >30 min, and sleep duration of ≤6 h. Logistic regression analyses showed that eating within 3 h of bedtime was positively associated with nocturnal awakening (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.15–2.27) but not long sleep onset latency (1.24; 0.89–1.73) or short sleep duration (0.79; 0.49–1.26). The relationship remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders of ethnicity and body mass index (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.00–2.04). Meal timing appears to be a modifiable risk factor for nocturnal awakenings and disrupted sleep. However, this is a preliminary cross-sectional study and highlights the need for additional research on the influence of the timing of food intake on sleep.

Keywords: food intake; meal time; sleep disturbance; sleep quality; sleep hygiene; eating behaviours (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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