Changes in eating patterns in response to chronic insufficient sleep and their associations with diet quality: a randomized trial

Overall, our findings suggest that eating frequency is increased in response to insufficient sleep, and the associations of eating patterns and their regularity with diet outcomes are modified by sleep duration, with adverse associations particularly under conditions of short sleep. These results may help to explain the shift toward obesogenic eating behaviors observed when sleep duration is curtailed.35,36 Replication of our findings from other clinical intervention studies, and with systematic investigation of potential individual differences, is warranted. Nevertheless, with the insights provided by this investigation of sleep curtailment, eating patterns, and diet quality, we suggest that interventions to improve dietary patterns and counter overeating should consider the role of sleep duration and target this modifiable behavior. Most notably, health providers counseling patients for weight management should highlight the need to achieve adequate sleep duration as a potential means to improve eating behaviors. Furthermore, clinical trials should be designed to evaluate whether limiting eating frequency and/or increasing regularity of eating patterns under conditions of short sleep can counter the adverse effects of insufficient sleep on eating behaviors.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.5664/jcsm.10696