Relationship Between Self-Perceived Sleep Quality,Healthy Eating, and Emotional Eating in Dance Students

Abstract

Objective: Dance practice has been linked to eating disorders and sleeprelated problems. This study examined the associations between selfperceived sleep quality, healthy eating, and emotional eating among dance students. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 114 participants. The instruments used were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the composite scale of morningness, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) for the Spanish population, and the eating and appraisal due to emotions and stress questionnaire. Results: Overall, 80.7% of students reported poor sleep quality, and 72.8% required dietary changes to improve their diet. Participants with poor sleep quality showed significantly higher scores on the emotional eating scale-both total and subscale scores-than those with good sleep quality. Sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction due to poor sleep, and the presence of nightmares were all associated with emotional eating. Although the number of hours slept was not related to emotional eating, it was associated with healthy eating. No significant differences in the HEI were found based on subjective sleep quality. Finally, students with a morning chronotype exhibited better diet quality than those with an evening chronotype. Conclusion: These findings are discussed in the context of promoting conservatories as potential healthy environments.