The relationship between sleep, nutrition and mood: a study of patients with anorexia nervosa.

An initial observation that insomnia, especially early morning waking, is a feature of anorexia nervosa has been confirmed. A further proposition that the insomnia is more closely related to the nutritional disturbance than to the mood state has also been confirmed using standardized measures of weight, sleep and mood. These findings are discussed in terms of the possible relevance to other illnesses involving weight change in which there is an alteration of sleep patterns.