Branched‐chain amino acids and sleep: a population‐derived study of Australian children aged 11–12 years and their parents

Abstract

SummaryMicronutrients, particularly amino acids, are thought to play an important role in sleep regulation and maintenance. While tryptophan is a known predictor of sleep, less is known about branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs), which compete with tryptophan for transport across the blood–brain barrier. The aim of this study was to determine the association between BCAAs and actigraphy‐derived sleep duration, timing and efficiency, and self‐reported trouble sleeping. This study examined data on children and adults collected as part of the Child Health CheckPoint study. Linear mixed models, adjusted for geographic clustering, were used to determine the association between BCAAs and sleep characteristics. Complete‐case analysis was conducted for 741 children aged 11–12 years old (51% females) and 941parents (87% mothers). While BCAAs were significantly associated with children's sleep duration, timing and self‐reported trouble sleeping, no associations were observed in adults, in fully adjusted models. In children, higher levels of BCAAs are associated with shorter sleep duration, delayed sleep timing, and more frequent reports of trouble sleeping.