Investigating 24-Hour Patterns of Sleep and Negative Affect among Individuals with Recurrent Binge Eating Behavior - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Binge eating (i.e., the consumption of an unusually large amount of food in a discrete period of time accompanied by loss of control) is a transdiagnostic eating disorder behavior with significant implications for health and functioning. However, treatment outcomes for binge eating psychopathology (e.g., binge eating disorder) are suboptimal, warranting consideration of novel factors which may increase risk for or maintenance of binge eating. Sleep disturbance has been observed among individuals with binge eating psychopathology, and multiple aspects of sleep have been implicated in binge eating behavior, including sleep duration, variability, and daytime napping. The proposed study builds upon existing knowledge by 1) identifying 24-hour patterns of sleep that signal individual vulnerability for binge eating, and 2) disentangling the bidirectional link between sleep and binge eating at a more granular, daily level, integrating aspects of two theoretical models of eating disorders focused on circadian factors and negative affect. To achieve study aims, the proposed project will recruit 230 adults with recurrent binge eating behavior who will complete a remote clinical screening and a fourteen-day, intensive longitudinal assessment of sleep, affect, and disordered eating behaviors using wrist actigraphy to estimate sleep characteristics and naps and ecological momentary assessment to measure eating disorder behaviors and negative affect at seven signals throughout each day. These data will be used to identify 24-hour patterns of sleep that signal individual vulnerability for binge eating behavior by investigating the interplay of sleep duration mean and variability and nap patterns as they relate to overall binge eating behavior. Improved recognition of person-level biobehavioral patterns that predict vulnerability for binge eating can help to better identify individuals for whom sleep promotion adjunctive therapies may be considered to promote more successful ED treatment outcomes. In addition, we will disentangle the bidirectional link between sleep and binge eating at the daily level, examining the influence of negative affect, naps, and binge timing on this relationship. Improved understanding of the temporal dynamics of these complex relationships can inform improvements to existing momentary and traditional treatments for binge eating by providing novel, modifiable targets for intervention.
