0221 Late Meals, Sleep Duration, and Sleep Fragmentation: Findings From the American Time Use Survey

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sleep hygiene recommendations discourage eating close to bedtime, though published data on the impact are not consistent. Associations between eating or drinking, within 1-hour prior to bedtime, sleep duration and sleep fragmentation were examined in a nationally-representative sample. Methods Data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), administered to a nationally representative sample of n=201,151 US residents aged ≥15 years were utilized. In an annual phone interview, ATUS participants were asked to record their activities during a 24-hour period (04:00am to 04:00am on the interview day) and were randomly selected to report weekdays or weekend activities. The present analysis included data from 2003–2018 and restricted to weekday respondents (n=124,242). Reporting of eating/drinking activities within 1-hour prior to bedtime was considered as a dichotomous variable (yes/no). Sleep fragmentation was defined as any awakening during the primary sleep episode (yes/no). Linear and logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, cohabitation, education and employment, were used to examine associations between eating/drinking and sleep duration or sleep fragmentation. Results In this ATUS sample, 56% of respondents were female and the mean age was 45 years. Mean sleep duration was 8.02 (0.007) hours, and 6% of survey participants ate/drank within 1-hour prior to bedtime. Overall, eating/drinking within 1-hour prior to bedtime was associated with longer sleep duration (p<0.01). Women and men who ate/drank within 1-hour prior to bedtime, in comparison to those who did not, had 35 minutes and 26 minutes longer sleep duration (p- value<0.0001) Eating/drinking activities within 1-hour prior to bedtime were associated with 1.8 higher odds of fragmented sleep (p<0.001). Conclusion In this large population-based survey, weekday eating or drinking within 1-hour prior to bedtime was associated with sleep fragmentation and longer sleep duration. Causal pathways would be difficult to discern, though sleep fragmentation could lead to compensatory increases in sleep duration. Support None