To analyse the association between sleep duration and quality with food intake, chrononutrition patterns, and weight gain during pregnancy. A prospective cohort study was conducted with 100 pregnant women. Data collection occurred once during each gestational trimester. The assessment of sleep quality and duration was performed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Food intake was assessed using three 24-h recalls in each trimester. Body weight was measured during the three trimesters, and height was measured only once to calculate the BMI. Linear regression analyses were performed to associate sleep duration and quality with food consumption and weight gain variables. Longer sleep duration was associated with a later dinner in the first trimester (β = 0·228, P = 0·025) and earlier in the third trimester (β = –0·223, P = 0·026), in addition to a later morning snack in the second trimester (β = 0·315, P = 0·026). Worse sleep quality was associated with higher total energy intake (β = 0·243, P = 0·044), total fat (β = 0·291, P = 0·015) and the chrononutrition variables such as a higher number of meals (β = 0·252, P = 0·037), higher energetic midpoint (β = 0·243, P = 0·044) and shorter fasting time (β = –0·255, P = 0·034) in the third trimester. Sleep quality was also associated with a higher BMI in the first trimester of pregnancy (β = 0·420, P = < 0·001). Most of the associations found in the present study show that poor sleep is associated with higher energy and fat intake and higher BMI. Longer sleep duration was associated with a later dinner in early pregnancy and an earlier dinner in late pregnancy, as well as with a later morning snack in the second trimester of pregnancy.

The relationship of chronotype differences with dietary habits and health-related outcomes among elderly people is not fully understood, although sex and generation differences are observed in human chronotype. Accordingly, we analysed the association of chronotype (as assessed by the midpoint of sleep) with dietary intake and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly Japanese women. The subjects in this cross-sectional study were 1618 women aged 65 years and older who were grandmothers or acquaintances of dietetics students. The subjects were classified into quintiles with respect to the midpoint of sleep, from the earliest to the latest quintile. HRQoL was assessed by the Japanese version of the short-form 36-item health survey score. Mental health was assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Dietary intake was assessed by a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. A later midpoint of sleep was associated with a lower intake of vitamin D and a higher intake of bread and caffeinated drinks. No correlations were observed between chronotype and other nutrient and food intake. The subjects with a late midpoint of sleep (eveningness) showed poor general health perception (GH) and high CES-D scores. Other HRQoL scores did not differ among groups with different midpoints of sleep. In conclusion, chronotype as assessed by the midpoint of sleep is associated with poor GH and depressive tendencies in elderly Japanese women. Additionally, a few associations were found between dietary intake and chronotype in elderly Japanese women.

Hsu W-Y, Chiu N-Y, Liu J-T, Wang C-H, Chang T-G, Liao Y-C, Kuo P-I. Sleep quality in heroin addicts under methadone maintenance treatment.

Background: Sleep disturbance is a common phenomenon among opiate addicts. The side effects of opiate addiction or opiate withdrawal might result in sleep disturbance. However, their problems might be related to sedative medication abuse, alcohol abuse or heroin relapse. Sleep is an important issue in this population.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of sleep disorders in heroin addicts receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and analyse the correlation between related factors, such as age at opiate exposure, opiate exposure duration, duration in MMT, methadone current dosage, methadone attendance rate and the severity of sleep disorders.

Method: We enrolled 121 heroin addicts who were receiving MMT. We collected data on the duration of insomnia, hypnotic history, Visual Analogue Scale-10 of sleep quality, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), methadone dosage, methadone history and opiate history.

Results: The mean of the PSQI was 9.1 ± 5.4, and 70.2% of patients had PSQI scores >5, indicating they were poor sleepers. We also found the PSQI scores were correlated significantly with the methadone dosage.

Conclusions: The sleep disturbance prevalence rate of opiate addicts under MMT was high in Taiwan, as shown in the previous studies, and the severity of sleep disturbance has been underestimated.

Naismith SL, Rogers NL, Lewis SJG, Diamond K, Terpening Z, Norrie L, Hickie IB. Sleep disturbance in mild cognitive impairment: differential effects of current and remitted depression.

Objective: Although patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) commonly report sleep disturbance, the extent to which depressive symptoms contribute to this relationship is unclear. This study sought to delineate the contribution of current and remitted major depression (MD) to sleep disturbance in MCI.

Methods: Seventy-seven patients meeting criteria for MCI (mean age = 66.6 ± 8.8 years) were grouped according to those with no history of depression (MCI, n = 33), those meeting criteria for current MD [mild cognitive impairment and meeting criteria for current major depression (DEP-C), n = 14] and those with remitted MD [mild cognitive impairment and remitted major depression (DEP-R), n = 30]. Additionally, 17 healthy controls (CON) participated. Sleep was patient-rated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and included assessment of sleep quality, duration, efficiency, disturbances, medications, sleep onset latency and daytime dysfunction. Depression severity was clinician-rated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

Results: Overall sleep disturbance was significantly greater in the DEP-C and DEP-R groups in comparison to the CON and MCI groups (p < 0.001). Only 12% of CON reported sleep disturbance, compared to 30% of MCI, 63% of DEP-R and 86% of DEP-C. Sub-scale analysis showed that the sleep disturbance in depressive groups was most evident across the domains of sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep latency and daytime dysfunction.

Conclusion: Sleep disturbance in MCI is strongly associated with a current or past diagnosis of MD. The finding that sleep complaints are still prominent in those with remitted depression, suggests that ‘trait' markers exist that may reflect underlying neurobiological changes within the sleep–wake system.