Adults and children not getting enough sleep, risking poor diets and obesity, BNF survey finds

11 Jun 2019 --- Large numbers of adults and teenagers in the UK are falling short on the recommended number of hours of sleep for their age-group, despite emerging research linking poor sleep quality to less healthy food choices and increased risk of obesity. This is according to British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) research, which reveals that 43 percent of adults reported sleeping less than the recommended minimum of seven hours on the previous night, and that 32 percent of primary and 70 percent of secondary school children reported sleeping less than 9 hours on the previous night.

Where lack of, or disturbed, sleep can lead to both adults and young people feeling grumpy and irritable, regular poor quality sleep can have a negative impact on dietary choices, including higher intakes of calories and more frequent snacking on less healthy foods. The BNF’s Task Force report: “Cardiovascular Disease: Diet, Nutrition and Emerging Risk Factors” published earlier this year, highlighted that deficient and interrupted sleep, may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

The research was conducted as part of BNF’s Healthy Eating Week, in which an extra health challenge, “Sleep Well,” was added for 2019. 

“BNF Healthy Eating Week promotes and celebrates healthy living by focusing on five health challenges which workplaces and schools are encouraged to take on: Have Breakfast, Have 5 A DAY, Drink Plenty, Get Active, and, new for this year, Sleep Well. With more and more emerging research linking lack of sleep to poor dietary choices, and the burgeoning obesity crisis in the UK, we are keen to place a new focus on sleep this year – looking into how well we’re actually all sleeping, and providing advice and resources to help improve sleeping habits,” says Dr. Lucy Chambers, Senior Scientist at BNF.

The sleep survey
The survey also reveals what some of the barriers might be to a good night’s sleep. BNF highlights that 59 percent of secondary school students, 50 percent of adults and 49 percent of primary school students stated that, on the night before the survey, they used screens just before bed. On top of this, one in ten (9 percent) secondary school students and one in six (16 percent) adults reported drinking a caffeinated drink before bed.

Alcohol consumption was also analyzed, with nearly one in ten adults (8 percent) consuming alcohol before bed. Around half (52 percent) of adults who reported consuming alcohol before bed fell asleep within 10 minutes, compared to 61 percent who did not consume alcohol. Nearly half of adults who consumed alcohol woke up two or more times during the night, compared to 38 percent of those who did not. While only 29 percent of all adults surveyed agreed they felt well rested when they woke up, for those who drank alcohol before bed this figure was even lower at 20 percent.

The researchers tell NutritionInsight that only a third of children and 29 percent of adults said that they felt well rested, which is particularly striking as it underlines that many people may not be getting enough sleep overall.

Among the other key elements of BNF Healthy Eating Week are the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast and drinking plenty of fluids. The survey looked into how people start their day and reveals that a quarter of secondary schools students reported not having anything to eat before school on the day of the survey, with one in ten primary school students reporting that they did not eat breakfast that day. 

Over a third of adults did not have anything to eat before starting work on the day of the survey, although this does not take into account those who might eat breakfast while working. Of those who did have breakfast, only a quarter of adults (24 percent) and 17 percent of secondary school children reported including any fruit or vegetables. A quarter of secondary school students, and 14 percent of adults, didn’t drink anything before starting their work or school day.

NPD for a good night’s sleep
As knowledge surrounding the importance of shut-eye increases, so does sleep-enhancing NPD. The market for sleep supplements in the booming supplement industry is growing, with Americans spending an estimated US$41 billion on sleep aids in 2015 alone, according to John Shegerian, CEO of Som Sleep. Som Sleep offers ready-to-drink supplements Som Sleep Original and Som Sleep Zero Sugar. 

In March, GacLife, a supplier of beverages infused with the superfruit Gấc, launched five new daily health beverages the company claims aid in sleep, skin health, energy, relaxation and detoxification. GacLife took one of the world’s rarest superfruits, Gấc (Momordica cochinchinensis) and created an all-natural, organic, vegan health drink with no added sugars. 

In the healthy indulgence space, Nightfood Inc. launched a line of ice creams that boast a low-calorie, sleep-friendly formulation. Although the products do not contain any sleep activating chemicals such as melatonin, they are touted as not interfering with sleep due to their reduced sugar, caffeine and fat content.