Self-reported Eating Disorders and Sleep Disturbances in Young Adults: a Prospective Cohort Study

Overview

Journal Eat Weight Disord

Publisher Springer

Date 2020 Mar 31

PMID 32222955

Citations 9

Authors

Jason M Nagata

Idia B Thurston

Bryan T Karazsia

Daniel Woolridge

Sara M Buckelew

Stuart B Murray

Jerel P Calzo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the prospective association between eating disorders, disordered eating behaviors, and sleep disturbances in young adults.

Methods: We used prospective cohort data of young adults aged 18-26 from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 12,082). Self-reported exposures of interest (at 18-26 years) included (1) an eating disorder diagnosis proxy; disordered eating behaviors such as (2) restrictive eating behaviors including fasting/skipping meals, (3) compensatory behaviors including vomiting, laxatives/diuretics, or weight loss pills; and (4) loss of control/overeating. Self-reported sleep disturbances at 7-year follow-up included trouble falling or staying asleep.

Results: In negative binomial regression models, all four exposures predicted both sleep disturbance outcomes at 7-year follow-up, when adjusting for demographic covariates and baseline sleep disturbances. When additionally adjusting for baseline depressive symptoms, the associations between eating disorder diagnosis proxies and trouble falling (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.24; 95% CI 1.05-1.46) and staying (IRR 1.16; 95% CI 1.01-1.35) asleep remained statistically significant; however, the associations between eating behaviors and sleep disturbances were attenuated.

Conclusions: Eating disorders in young adulthood predict sleep disturbances at 7-year follow-up. Young adults with eating disorders or who engage in disordered eating behaviors may be assessed for sleep disturbances.

Level Iii: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Citing Articles

Investigating the longitudinal bi-directional relationship between self-reported restrictive eating behaviours and sleep in UK adolescents within the Millennium Cohort Study.

Opitz M, Gaggioni G, Trompeter N, Rabelo-da-Ponte F, Desrivieres S, Micali N Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025; .

PMID: 39873761 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-025-02641-9.

Using item response theory to identify key symptoms of insomnia in a sample of university students with probable eating disorders.

Christensen Pacella K, Richson B, Short N, Bottera A, Irish L, Perko V Eat Weight Disord. 2024; 29(1):49.

PMID: 39068613 PMC: 11284188. DOI: 10.1007/s40519-024-01679-z.

The Integration of Sleep Research Into Eating Disorders Research: Recommendations and Best Practices.

Irish L, Bottera A, Manasse S, Christensen Pacella K, Schaefer L Int J Eat Disord. 2024; 57(9):1816-1827.

PMID: 38937938 PMC: 11483218. DOI: 10.1002/eat.24241.

Engagement in binge eating and fasting associated with poorer sleep quality in an online sample of adults.

Irish L, Christensen Pacella K, Nation M, Barnes R J Eat Disord. 2024; 12(1):76.

PMID: 38858793 PMC: 11165844. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-01028-6.

Sleep Profiles in Eating Disorders: A Scientometric Study on 50 Years of Clinical Research.

Carollo A, Zhang P, Yin P, Jawed A, Dimitriou D, Esposito G Healthcare (Basel). 2023; 11(14).

PMID: 37510531 PMC: 10379413. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11142090.

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