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

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.

Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown on Sleep-Wake Schedule and Associated Lifestyle Related Behavior: A National Survey

“… 21 Moreover, increased screen time leads to lower physical activity and thus low energy expenditure could be delaying the meal times and altering the sleep-wake rhythm. 9 , 27 , 28 In this context, a recent survey in Italian young age group individuals has also reported similar trend of delayed sleep-wake timings, time in bed and increase digital use during lockdown. 29 …”

Are lifestyle pattern changes associated to poor subjective sleep quality?: a cross-sectional study by gender among the general Japanese population underwent specified medical check-ups in 2014 and 2015

“…These facts seem like a contradiction and thus should be interpreted carefully. Past studies reported that meals within 3 hours of bedtime are positively associated with nocturnal awakening, 13 and that nocturnal awakening is associated to daytime sleepiness. 31 In light of these past studies, subjects in the patterns of ‘present to absent’ and ‘present to present’ may have had daytime sleepiness in 2014 due to lifestyle of supper close to bedtime, such daytime sleepiness may have lasted and thus they reported their poor SSQ in 2015.…”

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that poor SSQ is prevalent among individuals with unhealthy lifestyles, such as those with a lack of exercise and/or physical activity, 9 10 those who smoke 11 and/or engage in binge drinking 12 and those who eat meals close to bedtime. 13 However, it has not been clarified how SSQ is associated to changes in such lifestyles.…”

Sleep Quality and Duration in European Adolescents (The AdolesHealth Study): A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Study

“…In addition, the study of existing the literature reveals that there are differences in sleep duration and quality in relation to sex of the adolescents. Cultural aspects such as differences in meal times, especially at dinner [ 35 ], as well as geographical location have shown that people living in the western part of a time zone have both later bedtimes and shorter sleep duration than people in the eastern area of a time zone [ 36 ]. Besides, different geographical locations of the participant cities place them in different time zones (Spain in central European standard time (CET), Estonia in Eastern European standard time (EET), and Iceland in Greenwich mean time (GMT)).…”