Sleep disturbances, body mass index and eating behaviour in undergraduate students

Abstract

SUMMAR Y This study investigates the association between sleep disturbances, body mass index (BMI) and eating behaviour in a sample of undergraduate students. The sample comprises 870 medicine and dentistry students from Coimbra University (62.5% females), aged between 17 and 25 years. The Eating Attitudes Test-40 was used to measure eating behaviour, and two questions were applied addressing difficulties of initiating sleep (DIS) and difficulties of maintaining sleep (DMS). A sleep disturbance index (SDI) was calculated from the sum of DIS and DMS scores. Body mass index (BMI) was determined from self-reported weight and height. The correlation analyses generally indicated that global eating disturbance, bulimic behaviour dimension and social pressure to eat were associated particularly with sleep difficulties. An association between diet concerns and sleep difficulties was less consistent. Regression analyses showed that bulimic behaviour (BB) and social pressure to eat (SPE) dimensions were associated significantly with sleep difficulties (DIS, DMS, SDI) in the total sample (BB: from P < 0.01 to P < 0.001; SPE: P < 0.05) and in males (BB: from P < 0.05 to P < 0.001; SPE: P < 0.05) and with insomnia symptoms (P < 0.01). In females, bulimic behaviour was the only factor associated significantly with sleep difficulties (SDI, DIS; P < 0.01) and with insomnia symptoms (P < 0.05). Although BMI was correlated negatively with sleep difficulties (P < 0.05), regression analyses indicated that it was not associated significantly with them. Our findings support an association between eating behaviour and sleep disturbances in both genders, which may have treatment implications.k e y w o r d s BMI, eating behaviour, sleep disturbances

Association between sleep pattern and body mass index among undergraduate health colleges’ students at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

“…Also, we found participants from dentistry and medicine colleges who were waking up at night to use bathroom was significantly related with body mass index. In contrast, sleep difficulties at baseline are associated with current and longtime lower BMI, [27,47] but the inverse association is not con-firmed. Lower BMI is not a significant predictor of sleep difficulties over time.…”

“…weight loss, weight gain) and sleep problems. [27] Concurrent with high rates of obesity among people in the United States, there has been an alteration in sleeping manners. [28,29] Insomnia and sleep issues have been widely studied in the larg population.…”

Sleep disturbances in anorexia nervosa

“…(Ferron et al, 1997;Hebebrand et al, 2007;Köpp et al, 1998). A relationship between a reduction in leptin levels (an anorexigenic hormone), an increase in ghrelin levels (an orexigenic hormone) and a reduction in total sleep time has been described (Bodosi et al, 2004;Soares et al, 2011;Spiegel et al, 2004). Despite that, the underlying mechanisms of action for peptides involved in the regulation of eating behaviour and their effects on sleep are not fully understood.…”

“…In order to evaluate the significance of nutrition for sleep regulation, several studies have dealt with the effect of various macro-compositions of nourishment on subjectively experienced sleepiness and objectively measured EEG sleep parameters in healthy subjects and animals (Kilduff & Peyron, 2000;Lauer & Krieg, 2004;MacFadyen, Oswald, & Lewis, 1973;Phillips, Chen, Crisp, & Al, 1975;Sinton, Fitch, & Gershenfeld, 1999). Although literature findings suggest that the association between eating disturbances and sleep difficulties may be reciprocal, the causal direction has been difficult to establish (Soares et al, 2011). The experimental induction of hunger in laboratory setting produces increased nocturnal wakefulness and reduced SWS (Lombardo et al, 2015;Ohno & Sakurai, 2008).…”

“…The experimental induction of hunger in laboratory setting produces increased nocturnal wakefulness and reduced SWS (Lombardo et al, 2015;Ohno & Sakurai, 2008). Male volunteers exposed to severe and prolonged dietary restriction (Keys, Brožek, Henschel, Mickelsen, & Taylor, 1950) had severe physical and psychological complaints, including sleep disruption and decreased sleep needs (Keys et al, 1950;Soares et al, 2011). In animals, marked fragmentation of sleep and reduced amounts of SWS are described as being consequences of prolonged food deprivation (Lauer & Krieg, 2004).…”