Dados do Trabalho

Título

BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, BODY COMPOSITION AND SLEEP QUALITY IN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP?

Resumo

Food cravings are regularly experienced by individuals with and without eating disorders, especially for palatable, highly processed foods and high levels of carbohydrates, refined sugars, and/or fat. The relationship between changes in nutritional status, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, metabolic-inflammatory diseases, and increased oxidative stress are widely established; however, there is still little evidence for the analysis of sleep quality. OBJECTIVE: To outline the profile of nutritional status, food desire, biochemical markers of inflammation, and sleep quality in health professionals at a university hospital. METHODOLOGY: This pilot study was cross-sectional, quantitative, and prospective. The target population consisted of health professionals from the hospital clinical staff with no previous neurological complaints. Questionnaires were applied to measure the Intense Desires for Food – Trait and State questionnaires; inflammation was recorded with sociodemographic and body composition data from bioimpedance. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale were used for sleep assessment. RESULTS: Statistically significant correlations were found between inflammation, sleep quality, phase angle, and body fat percentage. It is inferred that moderate food cravings are related to poor sleep quality, a biochemical profile compatible with inflammation in health professionals. CONCLUSION: Overweight or obesity, increased oxidative stress, poor sleep quality and excessive day sleeping are present in the profile of healthcare professionals, regardless of the work shift.To establish cause and effect, we suggest longitudinal studies assessing these relationships comparatively in the long term.

Palavras Chave

Sleep Deprivation; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence; Inflammation Mediators; Overweight.