Effect of time-restricted eating on actigraphy-derived sleep parameters

Abstract Introduction Time-restricted eating (TRE) is an emerging dietary intervention for weight loss. Sleep can be influenced by timing of food intake. Nevertheless, the impact of TRE on sleep patterns remains under-explored. The Time-Restricted Intake of Meals (TRIM) study was a parallel-arm, controlled feeding trial in 41 adults with obesity and prediabetes or untreated diabetes, randomized to TRE (8am-6pm) or usual eating pattern (UEP; 8am-12am) for 12 weeks, where the primary outcome was weight change. We hypothesized that TRE would cause changes in sleep/wake patterns. Methods This was a post-hoc analysis of TRIM using wrist actigraphy data obtained at baseline and week-12. We applied an objective process to determine sleep parameters after sleep estimation (Cole-Kripke) from actigraphy data. We analyzed 6 days/nights of recordings for each participant at each timepoint. Outcomes were sleep duration defined by mean total sleep time per 24-hour period (TST), sleep timing measured by mid-sleep time, sleep onset/offset, and sleep continuity. We used paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests to compare data between baseline and week-12 within intervention arms and Mann-Whitney U tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests to compare changes between intervention arms. Results 38 participants (20 UEP; 18 TRE) with adequate actigraphy data (mean age 60 years, 92% female, and 92% Black) were analyzed. Baseline TST (mean□SD) was 394□90 minutes and 386□81 minutes for UEP and TRE, respectively. Week-12 TST was 397□92 minutes and 444□95 minutes for UEP and TRE, respectively. Compared to UEP, TRE increased TST by 55 minutes (p=0.03). TRE shifted mid-sleep time to 44 minutes earlier, from 3:24am to 2:40am (p=0.01), while UEP maintained the same mid-sleep time at 3:15am. Sleep onset shifted from a median of 12:22am to 11:52pm in TRE (p=0.03) while it remained stable in UEP (p=0.97). There were no differences in sleep offset and sleep continuity within and between intervention arms. Conclusion Sleep behaviors were different by treatment arm with increased total sleep time and earlier sleep onset in TRE participants. TRE may have ancillary consequences on sleep, which could have clinical implications for sleep regulation. Support (if any) AHA SFRN 17SFRN33590069 K23DK133690