The first day of the experiment was the adaptation day, to familiarise the firefighters to study procedures. The experimental protocol is provided in Figure 1. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct secondary analyses investigating the impact of sleep restricted to 4-h, and hot conditions, on food and macronutrient intake during snack opportunities, and the subjective ratings of hunger, fullness, and cravings of firefighters during multi-day simulated wildfire suppression. Knowledge of such interactions may help firefighting agencies to be better prepared to supply firefighters with ration packs suitable to different wildfire suppression conditions. The individual and combined effect of sleep restriction and heat on food intake, hunger, and the type of food that firefighters are craving is yet to be determined. However, these firefighters were not deployed in wildfire conditions, and sleep restriction and heat were not considered as potential influences on hunger and food choice. In a study of metropolitan-based Australian firefighters, food intake was largely determined by shift schedules, attitudes of co-workers, time, accessibility, and health. The first step in understanding the impact of food on firefighters’ health and safety is to understand the food intake patterns of these firefighters, particularly when working in unique shift conditions. This has potential implications for the time of day in which a greater amount of food should be available for firefighters. These findings suggest that under various simulated firefighting conditions, it is not the amount of food that differs but the timing of food intake, with those that are required to work in hot conditions while sleep restricted more likely to consume food between 12. Sleep restriction and heat did not impact feelings of hunger and fullness across the day, and did not lead to greater cravings for snacks, with no differences between conditions. Mixed model analyses revealed no difference in total energy intake between conditions, however there was a significant interaction between eating block and condition, with those in the CON, HOT, and HOT + SR condition consuming significantly more energy between 12 compared to the SR condition ( p = 0.002). During rest periods firefighters were able to self-select sweet, savoury, or healthy snacks from a ration pack and were asked to rate their hunger, fullness, and cravings every two hours (eating block). Sixty-six firefighters completed three days of simulated physically demanding firefighting work and were randomly allocated to either the control ( n = 18, CON 19 ☌, 8 h sleep opportunity), sleep restricted ( n = 16, SR 19 ☌, 4-h sleep opportunity), hot ( n = 18, HOT 33 ☌, 8 h sleep opportunity), or hot and sleep restricted ( n = 14 HOT + SR 33 ☌, 4-h sleep opportunity) condition. Conducting secondary analyses from a larger study, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of heat and sleep restriction on snacking behaviour and food cravings. However, there is currently no research on the combined effect of heat and sleep restriction on snacking behaviour. Research has shown that when sleep restricted, individuals choose foods higher in carbohydrates, fat, and sugar, and have increased cravings for calorie dense foods. Firefighters are exposed to numerous stressors during wildfire suppression, including working in hot temperatures and sleep restricted conditions.
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