Time-restricted eating improves appetite regulation and sleep characteristics in adults with poor sleep quality

Abstract

Background & aims: Time-restricted eating (TRE), a type of intermittent fasting (IF), appears to improve metabolic health in adults but shows inconsistent effects on appetite and sleep regulation, with less data on adults with poor sleep. Our study evaluated the impact of TRE on appetite and nighttime sleep in individuals with normal-weight and inadequate sleep.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial involved 30 young (age: 25.7 ± 5.6 years; 21F), normal-weight (body mass index (BMI): 23.0 ± 1.8 kg/m²) adults with poor sleep (<7 h/night or poor quality). Participants were randomized to two groups for 8 weeks: i) control group (CON), maintaining usual eating habits (CON, n = 16) or ii) time-restricted eating group (TRE), following a self-selected 10-h eating window (mandatory fasting from 23:00 to 06:00) for 8 weeks with no dietary changes (TRE, n = 14). Appetite, satiety, and craving for food were assessed using Visual Analog Scales (VAS) and the Food Craving Inventory-SP (FCI-SP), respectively. Sleep duration and quality were evaluated by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and 7-day actigraphic recordings.

Results: The TRE group reported higher satiety and fullness feeling together with a lower capacity to eat compared to CON (p < 0.038), while overall craving scores showed no between-group differences (p = 0.381). Sleep duration did not differ between groups, whereas several sleep characteristics improved. After TRE intervention, actigraphic assessments revealed an earlier sleep onset and later wake-up time (both p < 0.001) and fewer movements during sleep (p < 0.025).

Conclusion: An 8-week, 10-h TRE protocol positively affects appetite regulation and sleep characteristics in normal-weight young adults with insufficient or poor sleep. TRE appears promising for addressing appetite regulation and sleep disturbances in this group.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06485037).

Keywords: Food-craving; Hunger; Intermittent fasting; Sleep; Time-restricted eating.