Meeting sleep recommendations could lead to smarter snacking

Date:
September 20, 2021
Source:
Ohio State University
Summary:
Missing out on the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per
night could lead to more opportunities to make poorer snacking
choices than those made by people who meet shut-eye guidelines,
a new study suggests.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Missing out on the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night
could lead to more opportunities to make poorer snacking choices than
those made by people who meet shut-eye guidelines, a new study suggests.


==========================================================================
The analysis of data on almost 20,000 American adults showed a link
between not meeting sleep recommendations and eating more snack-related carbohydrates, added sugar, fats and caffeine.

It turns out that the favored non-meal food categories -- salty snacks and sweets and non-alcoholic drinks -- are the same among adults regardless
of sleep habits, but those getting less sleep tend to eat more snack
calories in a day overall.

The research also revealed what appears to be a popular American habit
not influenced by how much we sleep: snacking at night.

"At night, we're drinking our calories and eating a lot of convenience
foods," said 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.

"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. So it creates this bigger impact of meeting or not meeting sleep recommendations." The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep
Research Society recommend that adults sleep seven hours or longer per
night on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Getting less sleep
than recommended is associated with higher risk for a number of health problems, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure
and heart disease.



==========================================================================
"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,"
Taylor said.

The study abstract is published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics and the research will be presented in a poster session on
Oct. 18 at the 2021 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo.

Researchers analyzed data from 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.

The survey collects 24-hour dietary recalls from each participant --
detailing not just what, but when, all food was consumed -- and questions people about their average amount of nightly sleep during the work week.

The Ohio State team divided participants into those who either did
or didn't meet sleep recommendations based on whether they reported
sleeping seven or more hours or fewer than seven hours each night. Using
U.S. Department of Agriculture databases, the researchers estimated participants' snack-related nutrient intake and categorized all snacks
into food groups. Three snacking time frames were established for the
analysis: 2:00-11:59 a.m. for morning, noon-5:59 p.m. for afternoon,
and 6 p.m.-1:59 a.m. for evening.



========================================================================== Statistical analysis showed that almost everyone -- 95.5% -- ate at least
one snack a day, and over 50% of snacking calories among all participants
came from two broad categories that included soda and energy drinks and
chips, pretzels, cookies and pastries.

Compared to participants who slept seven or more hours a night, those
who did not meet sleep recommendations were more likely to eat a morning
snack and less likely to eat an afternoon snack, and ate higher quantities
of snacks with more calories and less nutritional value.

Though there are lots of physiological factors at play in sleep's
relationship to health, Taylor said changing behavior by avoiding the
nightly nosh in particular could help adults not only meet the sleep guidelines, but also improve their diet.

"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," said Taylor, a registered dietitian. "The longer we're
awake, the more opportunities we have to eat. And at night, those calories
are coming from snacks and sweets. Every time we make those decisions,
we're introducing calories and items related to increased risk for chronic disease, and we're not getting whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

"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." Co-authors of the study include Emily Potosky, Randy
Wexler and Keeley Pratt, all of Ohio State.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Ohio_State_University. Original
written by Emily Caldwell. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. E. Potosky, C. Taylor, R. Wexler, K. Pratt. Differences in Snacking
Intakes by Meeting Sleep Recommendations. Journal of the Academy
of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2021; 121 (9): A52 DOI: 10.1016/
j.jand.2021.06.145 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210920132613.htm

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