Relationships of Sleep Duration With Weight-Related Behaviors of U.S. College Students.

This study describes sleep behaviors of U.S. college students (N = 1,252; 18-24 years old; 59% female) and examines associations of sleep duration with weight-related behaviors. More than one quarter of participants slept < 7 hr/night and had mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores indicating poor sleep quality. There were significant differences for all PSQI scales among sleep duration categories, < 7 hr (n = 344), 7-8 hr (n = 449), ≥ 8 hr (n = 459) sleep/night. Compared to those who slept ≥ 8 hr, those who slept < 8 hr had significantly more negative eating attitudes (2% higher), poorer internal regulation of food (4% lower), and greater binge eating (4% higher) scores. Findings advocate for health care professionals to evaluate sleep behaviors of college students during office visits and promote good sleep behaviors.