A putative association between food intake, meal timing and sleep parameters among overweight nursing professionals working night shifts

Abstract

Studies have suggested that dietary composition and meal timing of night workers differs from day workers, and it may be associated with sleep disturbances. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship of macronutrient intake and meal timing during work-days and days-off with objective and subjective parameters of sleep among overweight nurses working night shifts. This study drew on baseline data from a phase II, randomized, double-blind, crossover, controlled clinical trial. The sample comprised 39 female nursing professionals. Dietary composition was determined by food diaries for one work-day and one day-off. Sleep data was obtained by actigraphy and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Mean age was 38.2 years (SE 1 year) and mean time working the night shift was 5.8 years (SE 0.6 years). Around three-quarters of participants had sleep duration <7 h and poor quality sleep (74.4% and 79.5%, respectively). Individuals who slept <7 h had higher mean intake of animal protein on days off than those who had sleep duration ≥7 h. Total carbohydrate intake was greater on the day-off compared to the work-day, with the greatest intakes occurring between 00:00 to 05:59 and 18:00 to 23:59.