Investigating 24-Hour Patterns of Sleep and Negative Affect Among Individuals with Recurrent Eating Behavior

Project Number: 1R01MH139617-01

Dr. Leah Irish, North Dakota State University associate professor of psychology, is examining sleep disturbances' impact on binge eating. This project will explore the relationship between sleep disturbances and binge eating behaviors while examining the bidirectional link between sleep and binge eating levels. The work will focus on identifying 24-hour patterns of sleep that may signal vulnerability to binge eating. Binge eating is defined as consuming a considerable amount of food in a discrete period accompanied by loss of control. Binge eating can cause weight gain, medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, problems functioning at work or social and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. By analyzing sleep duration, variability, nap patterns, and the influence of negative affect, the study intends to pinpoint biobehavioral patterns that could improve the identification of individuals at higher risk for binge eating.