Abstract:
Rationale: Sleep and diet are two essential pillars of health that closely influence one another. Poor sleep has been directly linked to poor dietary habits, including increased cravings for energy-dense foods and irregular meal patterns. On the other hand, certain dietary choices and meal timings can disrupt sleep quality and circadian rhythms. Although CBTi is well established as the first-line treatment for insomnia, its potential to improve dietary habits and quality has received limited empirical examination. This study aimed to investigate whether CBTi could also positively impact dietary quality and eating behaviors in Lebanese adults suffering from insomnia.
Methods: Adults with insomnia were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either CBTi or basic Sleep Hygiene (SH) education over a 4-week period. Sleep outcomes were assessed using actigraphy and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), while diet and chrononutrition were evaluated using 24-hour dietary recalls and the Emotional Eating Questionnaire (EEQ) at baseline and post-intervention.
Results: Preliminary analysis revealed improvements in sleep outcomes in the CBTi group, including a 10.57% increase in total sleep time (TST) (p = 0.043) and a 61.8% reduction in wake after sleep onset (WASO) (p = 0.018). Dietary outcomes also improved, with the CBTi group demonstrating a 31.38% reduction in late-night eating frequency (p = 0.0089) and increased adherence to World Health Organization (WHO) dietary guidelines, particularly regarding total fat intake (p = 0.05).
Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that improved sleep through CBTi is accompanied with improved dietary quality and eating patterns. Once the full sample size is recruited, these findings will be further validated. These findings highlight the need for integrated behavioral interventions targeting both sleep and diet in populations with insomnia.
