Sleep well to snack smartly

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

Ohio: The findings of a new study suggest that people who miss the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night might make poorer snacking choices than those who adhere to shut-eye guidelines.

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 favoured 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 Three snacking time frames were established for the analysis: 2:00-11:59 am for the morning, noon-5:59 p. for the afternoon, and 6 pm-1:59 am for the evening.

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

“The longer we’re awake, the more opportunities we have to eat. And at night, those calories are coming from snacks and sweets. 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,” noted Taylor.