Eating habits are associated with subjective sleep quality outcomes among university students: findings of a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose This study investigated the relationships between eating habits and sleep quality among university students. Methods In a cross-sectional study, university students completed a self-report questionnaire to assess eating habits and meal timing. We assessed subjective sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire and examined the associations between eating habits and overall sleep quality and its components. Results Four hundred ninety-eight students participated in the study. Students who used to skip breakfast, ate late-night snacks, and replaced meals with snacks were at 1.20 times, 1.24 times, and 1.25 times higher likelihood of having poor overall sleep quality, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that skipping breakfast (r = − 0.111, P = 0.007), late-night snacks (r = − 0.109, P = 0.007), replacing meals with snacks (r = − 0.126, P = 0.002), and irregular mealtimes (r = − 0.094, P = 0.018) were the best correlates with poor sleep quality. After adjustment to demographic variables, replacing meals with snacks followed by skipping breakfast were the best independent associations with poor sleep quality by the PSQI. Conclusions Eating habits and meal timing were significantly associated with sleep quality. We speculate that healthy eating habits may lead to improved sleep quality and sleep components among university students.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Its Association With Sleep Quality and Chronotype Among Youth: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The relatively low prevalence of good sleep quality (about 17%) among our university students is also consistent with and mirrors for other reports in the UAE and other parts of the globe. However, this number is lower than previous estimates among students in the UAE, whereby the prevalence rates of good sleep, using similar assessment tools were 34% in 2020 and 44.8% in 2021, respectively ( 50 , 76 ). Such a high heterogeneity in the reported prevalence of sleep quality among students in the same institute during two consecutive years is a mirror for the wide spectrum of interacting and interplaying variables impacting sleep quality, and the high sensitivity of sleep quality for variable environmental (dietary and lifestyle) factors.…”

Food Involvement, Food Choices, and Bioactive Compounds Consumption Correlation during COVID-19 Pandemic: How Food Engagement Influences Consumers’ Food Habits

“…The opposite trend showed by melatonin, with the low FIS considering it more effective than the high FIS did, could be related to its chronobiotic function, regulating sleep, energy metabolism, and anti-inflammatory effects [ 66 ]. Bad dietary habits, as the low FIS group showed, were associated with sleep disorders [ 67 ]; thus, low FIS could be more interested in melatonin and trust its beneficial effects.…”

Skipping Breakfast Is Associated with Hypertension in Adults: A Meta-Analysis

“…However, results of subgroup analysis showed that the association between skipping breakfast and hypertension was consistent in studies with and without adjustment of BMI, suggesting that the association could not be fully explained by the factor of overweight/obesity. In addition, skipping breakfast may be a behavioral marker of a cluster of unhealthy lifestyles, such as poor dietary habit, low physical activity, and irregular sleeping [ 33 , 34 ], all of which may expose the participants to a higher risk of hypertension. Besides, habitual breakfast skipping is associated with higher levels of systematic inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein [ 35 ] and glycoprotein acetyl [ 36 ], which may suggest chronic inflammation as a possible molecular basis for the association between skipping breakfast and hypertension.…”