Associations between bedtime eating or drinking, sleep duration and wake after sleep onset: findings from the American time use survey

Sleep hygiene recommendations discourage eating before bedtime; however, the impact of mealtime on sleep has been inconsistent. We examined gender-stratified associations between eating or drinking <1, <2 and <3 h before bedtime, sleep duration and wake after sleep onset (WASO >30 min). This study utilised 2003-2018 data from the American Time Use Survey, a nationally representative sample of USA residents aged >= 15 years. Participants recorded weekday/weekend activities during a 24-h period. Age-specific sleep duration and WASO were estimated categorically and continuously. Eating or drinking were identified from all activities recorded <1, se sleep duration was 8 center dot 0 +/- 0 center dot 006 h, and 6% of participants ate or drank <1 h prior to weekdays bedtime. Overall, eating or drinking <1 h prior to bedtime was associated with longer weekdays sleep duration. Women and men who ate or drank <1 h before bedtime, v. those who did not, had 35 min (95% CI (30,39)) and 25 min (95 % CI (21,29)) longer sleep duration, respectively, as well as increased odds of WASO; women (OR=2 center dot 03, 95% CI (1 center dot 66,2 center dot 49)) and men (OR=2 center dot 64, 95% CI (2 center dot 08,3 center dot 36)). As the interval of eating or drinking prior to bedtime expanded, odds of short and long sleep durations and WASO decreased. This population-based data linked eating or drinking <1 h before bedtime to longer sleep duration, but increased WASO. Eating or drinking further from bedtime lowers the odds of short and long sleep duration and WASO. Causal pathways are difficult to discern, though inefficient sleep after late-night eating could increase WASO and trigger compensatory increases in sleep duration.

Automated summary

The study found a positive correlation between eating or drinking shortly before bedtime and longer sleep duration, but it was also associated with increased WASO. As the interval between eating or drinking and bedtime extended, the odds of short and long sleep duration and WASO decreased.