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Published on: May 8, 2018
The effect of modest changes in sleep on dietary intake and eating behavior in children: secondary outcomes of a
Silke Morrison1, Rosie Jackson1, Jillian J Haszard2
1Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Insights
Mild sleep restriction in children increases calorie intake, especially from unhealthy noncore and ultraprocessed foods. This may contribute to pediatric obesity by altering eating behaviors when children are tired.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Sleep Science
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Insufficient sleep duration is a known risk factor for childhood obesity.
- The precise mechanisms linking sleep duration to obesity remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of experimentally manipulated sleep duration on energy intake and eating behaviors in children.
- To identify specific food types (e.g., noncore, ultraprocessed) and behavioral changes associated with altered sleep patterns.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, crossover study involving 105 children (aged 8-12 years) with manipulated sleep schedules (1-hour extension vs. 1-hour restriction).
- Sleep duration was objectively measured using actigraphy.
- Dietary intake, eating behaviors (using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire), and food preferences were assessed during and after sleep manipulation periods.
Main Results:
- Sleep restriction led to a significant increase in daily energy intake, primarily from noncore and ultraprocessed foods.
- Children in the sleep restriction group exhibited increased emotional overeating and undereating behaviors.
- The observed effects on energy intake and food choices were more pronounced in the per-protocol analysis.
Conclusions:
- Mild sleep deprivation in children can increase caloric intake, particularly of unhealthy foods, potentially contributing to pediatric obesity.
- Altered eating behaviors, such as emotional overeating, may be a key factor linking tiredness to unhealthy dietary choices in children.
Background:
Insufficient sleep duration increases obesity risk in children, but the mechanisms remain unclear.
Objectives:
This study seeks to determine how changes in sleep influence energy intake and eating behavior.
Methods:
Sleep was experimentally manipulated in a randomized, crossover study in 105 children (8-12 y) who met current sleep guidelines (8-11 h/night). Participants went to bed 1 h earlier (sleep extension condition) and 1 h later (sleep restriction condition) than their usual bedtime for 7 consecutive nights, separated by a 1-wk washout. Sleep was measured via waist-worn actigraphy. Dietary intake (2 24-h recalls/wk), eating behaviors (Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire), and the desire to eat different foods (questionnaire) were measured during or at the end of both sleep conditions. The type of food was classified by the level of processing (NOVA) and as core or noncore (typically energy-dense foods) foods. Data were analyzed according to 'intention to treat' and 'per protocol,' an a priori difference in sleep duration between intervention conditions of ≥30 min.
Results:
The intention to treat analysis (n = 100) showed a mean difference (95% CI) in daily energy intake of 233 kJ (-42, 509), with significantly more energy from noncore foods (416 kJ; 6.5, 826) during sleep restriction. Differences were magnified in the per-protocol analysis, with differences in daily energy of 361 kJ (20, 702), noncore foods of 504 kJ (25, 984), and ultraprocessed foods of 523 kJ (93, 952). Differences in eating behaviors were also observed, with greater emotional overeating (0.12; 0.01, 0.24) and undereating (0.15; 0.03, 0.27), but not satiety responsiveness (-0.06; -0.17, 0.04) with sleep restriction.
Conclusions:
Mild sleep deprivation may play a role in pediatric obesity by increasing caloric intake, particularly from noncore and ultraprocessed foods. Eating in response to emotions rather than perceived hunger may partly explain why children engage in unhealthy dietary behaviors when tired. This trial was registered at Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry; ANZCTR as CTRN12618001671257.
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