The relationship between circadian preference, eating habits, exercise habits and stress in university students

This study aimed to examine the relationships between circadian preferences and physiological and psychological stress responses, while also considering the roles of gender, healthy eating habits and regular exercise habits. To achieve this, a two-stage quantitative design was used. In the first stage, data were collected from 322 university students. Regression analysis showed that circadian preference was significantly associated with physiological stress responses. Additionally, a significant negative correlation was observed between physiological and psychological stress responses, indicating that these responses may be partially distinct. In the second stage, data from 474 university students were analysed to further test the stability of these relationships by including key behavioural and demographic factors such as eating habits, gender and exercise habits. Contrary to the first-stage findings, circadian preference was not significantly related to physiological stress responses. Instead, physiological stress was significantly predicted by gender and healthy eating habits.