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A preliminary study of fluid intake before bedtime and insomnia symptoms

Sleep and Biological Rhythms volume 17, pages 251–258 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a significant relationship between certain insomnia symptoms and drinking water shortly before bedtime as seen anecdotally in a clinical setting. A survey was done of 1223 patients receiving standard physical exams at a large hospital in Taiwan. Every patient was asked whether they were willing to answer a series of questions; if they agreed, they were given the questionnaire. Information in questionnaire form was gathered concerning demographic information and about pre-bedtime lifestyle habits of the respondents, including whether they drank specified beverages. Analysis of the data revealed three discrete classes based on the degree of their insomnia symptoms: Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3. From the multivariate logistic regression mode, Group 2 and Group 3 show a higher proportion of beverage-drinking behavior of study participants before going to bed than Group 1. Group 3 and Group 2 have ORs of 1.59 (P < 0.05) and 1.78 (P < 0.01), respectively. Further, females have higher rates of Group 2 at 1.49 times those of Group 1 (P < 0.05). In terms of age, younger participants have higher degrees of being in Group 3, compared to Group 1; the age groups of 45–64 and above 65 show ORs of 0.45 (P < 0.001) and 0.11 (P < 0.001). Most participants in Group 2 are in the 45–64 and above 65 age cohorts (OR 1.69, P < 0.05). Finally, most participants without regular exercise are in Group 3 (OR 1.53, P < 0.05). Scant research has been done in the area of insomnia and ingestion of fluids shortly before bed. The findings in this study offer some of the first evidence revealing a significant relationship between sleep disorder symptoms and beverage drinking before bedtime; consequently, it can be the impetus for further research in this field as an aid to personal and public health.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by Cheng Ching General Hospital–Chung Kang Branch, Taichung City, Taiwan with Grant Number of CH10300172.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, Chung-Kang Branch, Cheng Ching General Hospital, Taichung, 40799, Taiwan

    Chung-Huang Tsai

  2. Department of Industrial Engineering and Enterprise Information, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40799, Taiwan

    Shao-Jen Weng & Shih-Chia Liu

  3. Department of International Business, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40704, Taiwan

    Donald F. Gotcher

  4. Department of Business Administration, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, 500, Taiwan

    Hsin-Hung Wu

  5. Department of M-Commerce and Multimedia Applications, Asia University, Taichung, 413, Taiwan

    Hsin-Hung Wu

  6. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Chun-An Chou

  7. Department of Business Administration, Ajou University, Suwon, 443-749, South Korea

    Seung-Hwan Kim

  8. Sports Recreation and Health Management Continuing Studies-Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40799, Taiwan

    Chung-Huang Tsai

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  1. Chung-Huang Tsai
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Correspondence to Shao-Jen Weng.

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Tsai, CH., Weng, SJ., Liu, SC. et al. A preliminary study of fluid intake before bedtime and insomnia symptoms. Sleep Biol. Rhythms 17, 251–258 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-019-00206-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-019-00206-3

Keywords

  • Insomnia
  • Latent class analysis
  • Multivariate logistic regression