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Topical Area: Eating Frequency and Chrononutrition

Eating Frequency and Chrononutrition (Poster Session)

(P15-008-23) Examine the Associations Between Timing of Eating Occasions and Sleep Health in Young Adults

Sunday, July 23, 2023
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 215

    Presenting Author(s)

  • CG

    Charlotte Griffith, MS, RDN, LDN

    Doctoral Candidate, Graduate Research Assistant
    The University of Texas at Austin
    Austin, Texas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Jess A. Gwin, PhD

    Nutritional Physiologist
    Military Nutrition Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
    Natick, Massachusetts, United States

  • Heather J. Leidy, PhD

    Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences & Pediatrics
    The University of Texas at Austin
    Austin, Texas, United States

Disclosure(s):
Charlotte Griffith, MS, RDN: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify associations between the timing of eating occasions across the day and indices of sleep health in healthy young adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on data collected from 51 healthy young adults (age: 25.0 ± 4.8 y; body mass index (BMI): 23.8 ± 2.6 kg/m2) during the baseline phase of a randomized crossover study. All participants completed 24-h dietary recalls to assess the timing, number (frequency), energy, and macronutrient composition of each eating occasion across 3 non-consecutive days. Total energy and macronutrient composition within each eating occasion was determined using Nutritionist Pro Software (AxxyA; Redmond, WA). Objective sleep/wake patterns were measured from an actigraphy watch (Actiwatch; Phillips-Respironics; Pittsburgh, PA) worn continuously on the non-dominant wrist for 7 days to assess the following sleep parameters: bedtime, waketime, time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency (TST/TIB), and waketime after sleep onset (WASO). Participants completed Pittsburg Sleep Diaries each day for 7-days to assess self-reported sleep quality and disturbances of the most recent overnight sleeping period. Specific indices include perceived sleep quality, mood, energy, arousals, and awakenings. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to identify associations between the timing of eating occasions relative to bedtime and waketime and indices of sleep health using SPSS Statistics for Windows (version 28.0.0; Armonk, NY). P< 0.05 was statistically significant.

Results: Breakfast consumption was inversely associated with bedtime (r: -0.144; p< 0.05) and WASO (r: -0.167; p< 0.05) such that greater calories at breakfast were correlated with an earlier bedtime and a shorter WASO duration. Calories consumed during the nighttime eating occasions were inversely associated with shorter sleep duration (r: -0.176; p< 0.01). Interestingly, increased protein intake during the nighttime eating occasions was associated with increased perceived sleep quality (r: 0.203; p< 0.05).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the timing of eating occasions across the day are associated with indices of sleep health in healthy young adults.

Funding Sources: Leprino Foods, not official Army/DoD policy