Poor Sleep Linked to Poor Snacking

Smarter snacking can be cultivated by meeting sleep recommendations as less shut-eye is found to be linked to a higher intake of non-meal calories as per a study at the Ohio State University, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Daily night sleep of seven hours or longer on a regular basis is recommended by The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society to promote optimal health.

Sleep - Overview and Definition
Sleep is a behavioral state of restricted physical activity. It is controlled by our internal biological clock.

‘Smarter snacking can be cultivated by meeting sleep recommendations as less shut-eye is found to be linked to a higher intake of non-meal calories.’

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The study analyzed 19,650 U.S. adults between the ages of 20 and 60 who had participated from 2007 to 2018 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to derive a link between not meeting sleep recommendations and eating more snack-related carbohydrates, added sugar, fats, and caffeine.

Poor Sleep and Snacking

It was found that those people getting less sleep of recommended seven or more hours per night tend to eat more snack calories in a day overall. Moreover, it was found that popular American habit was not influenced by how much we sleep: snacking at night.

Sleep Disorder : Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes - An urge to move, usually due to uncomfortable sensations that occur primarily in the legs.

“At night, we’re drinking our calories and eating a lot of convenience foods. Not only are we not sleeping when we stay up late, but we’re doing all these obesity-related behaviors: lack of physical activity, increased screen time, food choices that we’re consuming as snacks and not as meals. Therefore, it creates this bigger impact of meeting or not meeting sleep recommendations. We know lack of sleep is linked to obesity from a broader scale, but it’s all these little behaviors that are anchored around how that happens,” says Christopher Taylor, professor of medical dietetics in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University and senior author of the study.

The study thereby emphasizes the need for adequate night sleep to avoid poor snacking choices.

Polysomnography | Sleep Study
Polysomnography (PSG) or sleep study is a test done to diagnose sleep disorders by recording brain waves and sleep patterns. PSG can also be useful to monitor response to treatment of sleep disorders and adjust treatment plan suitably.

“Meeting sleep recommendations helps us meet that specific need for sleep related to our health, but is also tied to not doing the things that can harm health. Even if you’re in bed and trying to fall asleep, at least you’re not in the kitchen eating – so if you can get yourself to bed, that’s a starting point,” says Taylor, a registered dietitian.

Source-Medindia