The results of a recent study conducted by the University of Queensland in Australia revealed that eating a lot of fast food is associated with poor sleep quality in adolescents, according to the university’s official website.
"Frequent consumption of soft drinks and fast food is closely related to sleep disturbance in adolescents all over the world," said Asaad Khan, a researcher at the university's College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Dr Khan added, "This is the first study to examine unhealthy diets and their relationship to stress-related sleep disorder on a global scale in high school students from 64 countries."
Soft drinks and sleep disturbances
Sleep disturbance is associated with frequent consumption of soft drinks
7.5% of teens reported stress-related sleep disorder, which was more common among females than males.
Sleep disruption increased with increased frequent consumption of soft drinks, which often contain caffeine, or junk foods, which are usually calorie-dense and low in nutrients.
Also, teens who drink more than three soft drinks a day have 55% higher odds of reporting sleep disturbances than those who drink only one soft drink a day.
Fast food and sleep disturbance
Also, males who eat fast food more than four days a week have a 55% higher risk of reporting sleep disturbances than those who eat fast food only once a week, while the odds are 49% higher for females.
Frequent consumption of soft drinks more than three times a day, and fast food more than four days a week, were significantly associated with sleep disturbance in all countries except for low-income countries.
Data were collected from WHO Global School Health Questionnaires between 2009 and 2016, which included 175,261 students between the ages of 12 and 15 from 64 low, middle and high-income countries in regions as diverse as Southeast Asia, Africa, parts of South America and the eastern Mediterranean.
Unhealthy behaviors
Dr Khan said the findings are of particular concern because sleep disturbances negatively affect teens' health and cognitive development.
He added, "Targeting these unhealthy behaviors should be a policy and planning priority."
