Sleep & Circadian Health are Associated with Mood & Behavior in Adolescents with Overweight/Obesity

ABSTRACT

Objective/Background

Rates of overweight/obesity and insufficient/delayed sleep are high among adolescents and are also unique risk factors for mood/behavior difficulties. This study aimed to evaluate relationships between sleep/circadian health and mood/behavior in a cohort of adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Participants

Twenty-two adolescents (16.4 ± 1.1 years) with overweight/obesity attending high school completed in the study.

Methods

Participants completed one week of home sleep monitoring (actigraphy), questionnaires assessing chronotype (diurnal preference; Morningness/Eveningness Scale for Children) and mood/behavior (Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire), and had in-laboratory salivary melatonin sampling on a Thursday or Friday during the academic year.

Results

Linear regressions revealed later weekday bedtime and shorter weekday time in bed and sleep duration were associated with worse mood/behavior scores. Shorter duration of melatonin secretion and greater “eveningness” were also associated with worse mood/behavior scores.

Conclusions

Short and late sleep, shorter melatonin secretion, and eveningness chronotype are associated with worse mood/behavior symptoms in a cohort of adolescents with overweight/obesity. Clinicians should assess for both sleep and mood/behavior symptoms and further research is needed to evaluate the impact of improved sleep on mood/behavior in adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participants and their families for taking part in our research and our CTRC nursing staff for their assistance in performing these studies. These data were previously reported at a poster presentation at the 2018 Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.

Disclosure statement

CDB has research funding support from Jazz Pharmaceuticals. KPW has research funding support from Philips Inc., CurAegis Technologies (formerly known as Torvec Inc.) and Somalogics, consulting fees from or served as a paid member of scientific advisory boards for the Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board - National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, CurAegis Technologies, Circadian Therapeutics, LTD. and has received speaker/educational consultant honorarium fees from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Diabetes Association, Associated Professional Sleep Societies, and the Obesity Medicine Association. No conflicts of interest are reported for any other authors.

Data Sharing

Data available on request from the authors

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Children’s Hospital Colorado & Colorado School of Mines (awarded to Simon & Diniz-Behn), and the National Institutes of Health National Center for Clinical and Translational Science Awards UL1 TR002535.