Is it true that diet impacts sleep quality? In this new study, those that eat less fiber, more saturated fat and more sugar are more likely to have less restorative and more disrupted sleep.
The main finding: diet quality influenced sleep quality. Principal investigator Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, said “it was most surprising that a single day of greater fat intake and lower fiber could influence sleep parameters”.
The study involved 26 adults – 13 men and 13 women – who had a normal weight and an average age of 35 years. It was found that participants fell asleep faster after eating fixed meals provided by a nutritionist, which were lower in saturated fat and higher in protein than self-selected meals. On average, participants taking 17 minutes to fall asleep after eating controlled meals versus 29 minutes to fall asleep after consuming foods and beverages of their choice.
With this, the current findings suggest the increasing recognition of the role of sleep in the development of chronic disorders such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
In conclusion, diet and sleep make for a healthy lifestyle – their direct correlation will need to be evaluated further in future studies.
Reference:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine