Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden
The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, such as stay-at-home-orders, have significantly altered daily routines and lifestyles. Given their importance for metabolic health, we herein compared sleep and meal timing parameters during vs. before the COVID-19 pandemic based on subjective recall,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Clocks & Sleep |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/3/2/15 |
| _version_ | 1797536814148354048 |
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| author | Christian Benedict Luiz Eduardo Mateus Brandão Ilona Merikanto Markku Partinen Bjørn Bjorvatn Jonathan Cedernaes |
| author_facet | Christian Benedict Luiz Eduardo Mateus Brandão Ilona Merikanto Markku Partinen Bjørn Bjorvatn Jonathan Cedernaes |
| author_sort | Christian Benedict |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, such as stay-at-home-orders, have significantly altered daily routines and lifestyles. Given their importance for metabolic health, we herein compared sleep and meal timing parameters during vs. before the COVID-19 pandemic based on subjective recall, in an anonymous Swedish survey. Among 191 adults (mean age: 47 years; 77.5% females), we show that social jetlag, i.e., the mismatch in sleep midpoint between work and free days, was reduced by about 17 min during the pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic state (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Concomitantly, respondents’ sleep midpoint was shifted toward morning hours during workdays (<i>p</i> < 0.001). A later daily eating midpoint accompanied the shift in sleep timing (<i>p</i> = 0.001). This effect was mainly driven by a later scheduled first meal (<i>p</i> < 0.001). No difference in the timing of the day’s last meal was found (<i>p</i> = 0.814). Although our survey was limited in terms of sample size and by being cross-sectional, our results suggest that the delay in sleep timing due to the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a corresponding shift in the timing of early but not late meals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:06:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e294df1cafb64380bd94a755576a29c9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-5175 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:06:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clocks & Sleep |
| spelling | doaj.art-e294df1cafb64380bd94a755576a29c92023-11-21T16:35:54ZengMDPI AGClocks & Sleep2624-51752021-04-013225125810.3390/clockssleep3020015Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from SwedenChristian Benedict0Luiz Eduardo Mateus Brandão1Ilona Merikanto2Markku Partinen3Bjørn Bjorvatn4Jonathan Cedernaes5Department of Neuroscience, Sleep Science (BMC), Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Public Health Solutions, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271 Helsinki, FinlandHelsinki Sleep Clinic, Vitalmed Research Center, 00420 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5009 Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, SwedenThe COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, such as stay-at-home-orders, have significantly altered daily routines and lifestyles. Given their importance for metabolic health, we herein compared sleep and meal timing parameters during vs. before the COVID-19 pandemic based on subjective recall, in an anonymous Swedish survey. Among 191 adults (mean age: 47 years; 77.5% females), we show that social jetlag, i.e., the mismatch in sleep midpoint between work and free days, was reduced by about 17 min during the pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic state (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Concomitantly, respondents’ sleep midpoint was shifted toward morning hours during workdays (<i>p</i> < 0.001). A later daily eating midpoint accompanied the shift in sleep timing (<i>p</i> = 0.001). This effect was mainly driven by a later scheduled first meal (<i>p</i> < 0.001). No difference in the timing of the day’s last meal was found (<i>p</i> = 0.814). Although our survey was limited in terms of sample size and by being cross-sectional, our results suggest that the delay in sleep timing due to the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a corresponding shift in the timing of early but not late meals.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/3/2/15COVID-19 pandemicanonymous surveymeal timingsleep timingSweden |
| spellingShingle | Christian Benedict Luiz Eduardo Mateus Brandão Ilona Merikanto Markku Partinen Bjørn Bjorvatn Jonathan Cedernaes Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden Clocks & Sleep COVID-19 pandemic anonymous survey meal timing sleep timing Sweden |
| title | Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden |
| title_full | Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden |
| title_fullStr | Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden |
| title_full_unstemmed | Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden |
| title_short | Meal and Sleep Timing before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey Study from Sweden |
| title_sort | meal and sleep timing before and during the covid 19 pandemic a cross sectional anonymous survey study from sweden |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic anonymous survey meal timing sleep timing Sweden |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/3/2/15 |
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