Night eating habits in medical students and how impulsive behavior links these habits to their natural sleep patterns

The mean Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) score among preclinical medical students was 16.31 ± 5.48, with 8.8% diagnosed with probable night eating syndrome (NES).

• A higher prevalence of probable NES may be present in preclinical medical students compared to the general population.
• Participants with probable NES exhibited elevated scores on multiple psychological and sleep-related assessments.
• There is a moderate positive association between NEQ scores and sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
• The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and Adult ADHD Self-report Scale (ASRS-B) may mediate the relationship between NES and morningness-eveningness preferences.

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