Abstract
Shiftworkers report eating during the night when the body is primed to sleep. This study investigated the impact of altering food timing on subjective responses. Healthy participants (n = 44, 26 male, age Mean ± SD = 25.0 ± 2.9 years, BMI = 23.82 ± 2.59kg/m2) participated in a 7-day simulated shiftwork protocol. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three eating conditions. At 00:30, participants consumed a meal comprising 30% of 24 h energy intake (Meal condition; n = 14, 8 males), a snack comprising 10% of 24 h energy intake (Snack condition; n = 14; 8 males) or did not eat during the night (No Eating condition; n = 16, 10 males). Total 24 h individual energy intake and macronutrient content was constant across conditions. During the night, participants reported hunger, gut reaction, and sleepiness levels at 21:00, 23:30, 2:30, and 5:00. Mixed model analyses revealed that the snack condition reported significantly more hunger than the meal group (p < 0.001) with the no eating at night group reporting the greatest hunger (p < 0.001). There was no difference in desire to eat between meal and snack groups. Participants reported less sleepiness after the snack compared to after the meal (p < 0.001) or when not eating during the night (p < 0.001). Gastric upset did not differ between conditions. A snack during the nightshift could alleviate hunger during the nightshift without causing fullness or increased sleepiness.
Highlights
Shiftwork, characterized by work that occurs outside of regular daytime hours, is increasingly common in todayâs society [1]
All remaining data were reviewed for outliers and no observations were removed from analyses
There was one period not significant for TST (PSG) failure, with PSG data presented for a sample of n = 43 (MN n = 13; Snack at Night condition (SN) n = 14; NE n = 16), and six participants with two actiwatch failures, with actiwatch data presented for a sample of n = 38 (MN n = 11; SN n = 14; NE n = 12)
Summary
Shiftwork, characterized by work that occurs outside of regular daytime hours, is increasingly common in todayâs society [1]. One reason for the health consequences of shiftwork may be that, in a 24 h society, eating becomes a 24 h behaviour [8] While those on a more traditional day work schedule are most likely to eat three meals per 24 h, with food consumed during the daytime hours [9,10], shiftwork usually leads to altered eating patterns with food consumed across the 24 h period, including at night [8,10,11,12]. Shiftworkers in multiple industries frequently report altered meal timing, with a sample of nurses reporting an increase in altered temporal eating patterns and unbalanced diets compared to day workers [13]. The size of the meal eaten on-shift is influenced by shiftwork, with an increase in snacking behaviors reported during the nightshift compared to the dayshift in samples of nurses [15], airline crew [16], oil refinery workers [17], and transport workers [18]
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