Do you wake up at night? Eat these foods to improve sleep quality
Insomnia is a common problem that significantly affects quality of life, and one way to improve sleep is to change your diet.
From counting sheep, to a cup of warm drink, to medications – people have tried countless ways to get a good night's sleep. Sleep disorders can have far-reaching negative consequences, affecting cardiovascular and metabolic health, memory, learning, productivity, mood regulation, interpersonal relationships, and much more.
It turns out that an important tool for improving sleep quality may have been hiding in plain sight – in the fruit and vegetable aisle. A new study led by researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center and Columbia University found that eating more fruits and vegetables during the day was linked to deeper sleep later that night.
"Dietary changes could be a new, natural, and cost-effective approach to achieving better sleep," said co-author Dr. Esra Tasali, director of the University of Chicago Sleep Center.
"The time associations and objectively measured outcomes in this study represent key steps toward filling an important knowledge gap about health."
Uncovering the link between diet and sleep
Studies have shown that inadequate sleep can lead people to gravitate toward unhealthier diets high in fat and sugar. However, despite the far-reaching effects of sleep on health and even economic productivity, doctors and scientists know much less about how diet can affect sleep patterns.
In previous observational studies, higher fruit and vegetable intake was associated with better self-reported overall sleep quality, but this new study was the first to highlight a time-based link between daily dietary choices and objectively measured sleep quality that same night.
Healthy adults who participated in the study reported their daily food intake using an app and wore a wrist monitor that allowed researchers to objectively measure their sleep patterns.
The researchers specifically looked at "sleep fragmentation" – an index reflecting how often someone wakes up or shifts from deep to light sleep during the night.
Promising findings support dietary guidelines
The researchers found that diet each day was associated with significant differences in sleep the following night. Participants who ate more fruits and vegetables during the day tended to have deeper, uninterrupted sleep that same night, as did those who consumed more healthy carbohydrates like whole grains.
Based on their findings and statistical modeling, the researchers estimate that people who eat five cups of fruits and vegetables per day, as recommended by the CDC, may experience a 16 percent improvement in sleep quality compared to those who do not consume fruits or vegetables.
"Yes, that 16 percent is a very significant difference," said Tasali, adding: "It’s striking that such a significant change could be observed in less than 24 hours."
Future studies will help establish causality, extend findings to different populations, and investigate the underlying mechanisms of digestion, neurology, and metabolism that could explain the positive effect of fruits and vegetables on sleep quality. But based on current data, experts confidently advise that regularly consuming a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables is best for long-term sleep health.
"People always ask me if there are things they can eat that will help them sleep better," said co-author Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research at Columbia.
"Small changes can impact sleep. This is very important because better rest is under your control," St-Onge emphasized, as reported by UCChicagoMedicine.
