Eating Decisions Based on Alertness Levels After a Single Night of Sleep Manipulation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Study Objectives: To determine the relationship between an ecologically-relevant change in sleep behavior and its subsequent effects on daytime alertness and feeding behavior. Methods: Fifty healthy, young participants (10 male, 40 female) completed two 3-hour study sessions that were at least five days apart. The first session was a baseline evaluation. On the night prior to Session 2, the amount of time in bed was manipulated to be 60%-130% of the individual's habitual sleep time. Within both sessions, subjective (Stanford Sleepiness Scale) and objective (Psychomotor Vigilance Test) alertness were measured. During the middle of each session, a 40-minute ad libitum meal opportunity allowed participants to eat from eight different food items. Food healthfulness, caloric density, distribution, and number of calories were measured and compared to alertness levels. Results: The induced variation in time in bed resulted in induced variation in both subjective and objective (p < .05) measures of alertness. Decreased subjective alertness was associated with increased total caloric consumption (p < .05), and a greater number of calories consumed from less healthy food (p < .05), as rated by both the investigators and by the participant. Decreased objective alertness was associated with less healthy food choices (p < .05), and the consumption of more food from the calorically-dense items (p < .05). Conclusions: Ecologically-relevant impairments in subjective and objective alertness are associated with increased caloric intake and dysfunctional eating decisions. People experiencing reduced alertness after modest sleep loss may be more willing to eat food they recognize as less healthful, and appear to prefer more calorically-dense foods.

The Impact of Time of Day on Energy Expenditure: Implications for Long-Term Energy Balance

“…However, studies have not shown consistent effects of sleep loss on these hormones [94,100,101,102]. More consistent results have been found in the relationship between sleep loss and an increased consumption of energy-dense foods in both shift workers [103,104,105] and non-shift workers [100,106,107,108,109].…”

Light, Alertness, and Alerting Effects of White Light: A Literature Overview

“…There are important implications associated with maintaining alertness during daytime, since it is known to affect cognitive performance ( Figueiro et al, 2016 ), perceptual skills ( Curcio et al, 2001 ), reasoning abilities ( Curcio et al, 2001 ), judgment and decision-making capabilities ( Van Dongen et al, 2004 ), psychological and physiological well-being ( Cajochen et al, 2003 ; Dijk et al, 1992 ; Hull et al, 2003 ), caloric intake ( Pardi et al, 2016 ), and pain perception ( Alexandre et al, 2017 ). However, contemporary developments, such as the emergence of the 24-h society, pose unique physiological and psychological challenges on alertness.…”

Daytime melatonin and light independently affect human alertness and body temperature

“…Alertness is known to affect many functions, such as performance, psychological and physiological well‐being, caloric intake, and pain sensitivity . Displaying optimal alertness is thus beneficial, and many studies have attempted to improve alertness using monochromatic or polychromatic light (for review see,).…”

“…13 Alertness is known to affect many functions, such as performance, psychological and physiological well-being, caloric intake, and pain sensitivity. [14][15][16][17] Displaying optimal alertness is thus beneficial, and many studies have attempted to improve alertness using monochromatic or polychromatic light (for review see, 18,19 ). Exposure to light improves alertness during nighttime, when melatonin concentrations are usually high and CBT decreases.…”