Association between sleep duration and quality with food intake, chrononutrition patterns, and weight gain during pregnancy

To analyse the association between sleep duration and quality with food intake, chrononutrition patterns, and weight gain during pregnancy. A prospective cohort study was conducted with 100 pregnant women. Data collection occurred once during each gestational trimester. The assessment of sleep quality and duration was performed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Food intake was assessed using three 24-h recalls in each trimester. Body weight was measured during the three trimesters, and height was measured only once to calculate the BMI. Linear regression analyses were performed to associate sleep duration and quality with food consumption and weight gain variables. Longer sleep duration was associated with a later dinner in the first trimester (beta = 0<middle dot>228, P = 0<middle dot>025) and earlier in the third trimester (beta = -0<middle dot>223, P = 0<middle dot>026), in addition to a later morning snack in the second trimester (beta = 0<middle dot>315, P = 0<middle dot>026). Worse sleep quality was associated with higher total energy intake (beta = 0<middle dot>243, P = 0<middle dot>044), total fat (beta = 0<middle dot>291, P = 0<middle dot>015) and the chrononutrition variables such as a higher number of meals (beta = 0<middle dot>252, P = 0<middle dot>037), higher energetic midpoint (beta = 0<middle dot>243, P = 0<middle dot>044) and shorter fasting time (beta = -0<middle dot>255, P = 0<middle dot>034) in the third trimester. Sleep quality was also associated with a higher BMI in the first trimester of pregnancy (beta = 0<middle dot>420, P = < 0<middle dot>001). Most of the associations found in the present study show that poor sleep is associated with higher energy and fat intake and higher BMI. Longer sleep duration was associated with a later dinner in early pregnancy and an earlier dinner in late pregnancy, as well as with a later morning snack in the second trimester of pregnancy.