The Association between Insomnia Symptoms and Diet Quality and Energy Intake

Abstract

Insomnia, characterized by difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), early‐morning awakenings (EMA), or nonrestorative sleep (NRS), is the most common sleep disorder. While some small clinical studies have shown potential impact of sleep on eating habits, the relationship between insomnia and diet remains unclear. We thus conducted a longitudinal analysis to examine whether men with insomnia symptoms had a lower diet quality and greater energy intake 2 years later. Analysis included 15,005 US men (mean age 67.3 ± 8 y) participating in the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study and free of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Insomnia was assessed in 2004 via questionnaires by asking participants how often (rarely/never, sometimes, or most of the time) they experienced insomnia symptoms. Dietary intake was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire in 2002 and 2006; the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) was utilized as the measure of diet quality. Analyses adjusted for age, smoking, body mass index, AHEI and total energy intake in 2002, and other potential confounders. Men with DIS in 2004 tended to have a lower diet quality score (P‐trend<0.0001) and higher energy intake (P‐trend=0.07) in 2006, in a dose‐dependent manner. Reporting DMS and NRS were associated with higher energy intake (P‐trend<0.01 for both). In contrast, we did not observe significant associations between other insomnia symptoms and diet quality or energy intake. In conclusion, certain insomnia symptoms could have potential unfavorable impact on diet.