Investigating the Relationship between Sleep and Circadian Timing, Disruption, and 24-hour Rhythms with Habitual Diet Quality
Focused Projects Grant for Junior Investigators
KAITLIN POTTS, PHD
THE BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL, INC.
Key Project Outcomes
This project examined how different aspects of sleep and activity rhythms—the day-to-day patterns of the timing, level, and quality of our sleep and activity—relate to diet quality. Using data from two large, diverse U.S. studies—the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)—we found that people with stronger daily activity rhythms, more regular and earlier sleep schedules tended to have healthier overall diets. In both studies, having more active days and less active (more restful) nights was linked to better diet quality, suggesting that maintaining a robust and consistent sleep–wake routine may support healthier eating behaviors.
We also developed and implemented a reproducible set of computer code to process and analyze actigraphy data (wrist-worn activity monitors) to quantify rest–activity rhythms, which may serve as one marker of circadian health. These data and methods are being shared through the National Sleep Research Resource (NSRR) so other researchers can use these data to study ither research questions.
Together, these findings advance our understanding of how sleep and activity rhythms are connected to diet. These findings suggest that combining strategies to promote consistent sleep, active daytime routines, and healthy eating may be more effective for supporting long-term lifestyles that reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.