During the last years, a decline in the amount of hours of sleep has been observed in children. Sleep deficiency has been linked to an increase in calories, snacks, and fat intake. The objective of this study was to review the evidence between sleep duration and eating habits in children.

We performed an electronic search in MEDLINE, The Cochrane Central Register, BIREME, EMBASE, LILACS, and Epistemonikos. Study selection criteria was: children aged 2–18 yrs within studies that aimed to associate sleep duration and eating habits. Quality of the included studies was assessed with the STROBE scale.

Thirty studies were included, 10 in the metanalysis (n = 72,054). Odds ratio for unhealthy eating habits among children who had short sleep was OR 1.51 [95% CI: 1.24–1.85]. Snack consumption was associated with less sleep: OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.24–2.46]. The same figure for soda was OR 1.16 [CI 95% 1.09–1.25]. Adequate sleep duration was associated with intake of fruits and vegetables: OR 0.75 [CI 95% 0.65–0.86].

This systematic review showed an association between sleeping hours and eating habits in children. Education regarding sleep should be recommended in children in order to avoid unhealthy eating habits.