Aquino-Blanco, Andrea , Lopez-Moreno, Miguel , Yanez-Sepulveda, Rodrigo , Sanchez-Charcopa, Lina America , Mino, Camila , Montenegro-Espinosa, Jose Adrian , Quiroz-Cardenas, Fiorella , Ridgell, Lucille , MANZANO CARRASCO, SAMUEL, Galan-Lopez, Pablo , Yon, Dong Keon , LOPEZ GIL, JOSE FRANCISCO
No
Eur J Pediatr
Article
Científica
1
1
13/07/2026
001818387400001
2-s2.0-105044641966
During adolescence, sleep disturbances and emotionally driven eating patterns frequently coexist, potentially sharing underlying psychological mechanisms. However, their specific relationship in this population has not been fully clarified. This study explored the association between emotional eating and different sleep-related difficulties among Spanish adolescents. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with 837 participants between 12 and 17 years old from the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) study. Sleep-related difficulties were evaluated using the bedtime issues, excessive daytime sleepiness, night awakenings, regularity/duration of sleep, and snoring (BEARS) screening tool, while emotional eating was measured with the Emotional Eating Scale adapted for children and adolescents. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations. Greater emotional eating was associated with higher likelihood of certain sleep-related disturbances, particularly those occurring at bedtime (odds ratio [OR] = 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.02; p = 0.033) and snoring (OR = 1.02; 95% CI 1.00-1.03; p = 0.012). Among emotional dimensions, anger and anxiety showed the strongest associations with the presence of at least one sleep-related issue.Conclusions: Emotional eating appears to be selectively linked to specific sleep disturbances in adolescents, with emotional regulation processes, especially those related to anger and anxiety, playing a potentially relevant role. These findings highlight the importance of considering both behavioral and emotional factors when addressing sleep health in this age group.
Eating behavior; Sleep disturbances; Sleep wake disorders; Adolescent health; Behavioral nutrition; Lifestyle factors