Could What You Eat Affect How You Sleep?

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Did you know that what you eat could affect how you sleep? I’ve been doing some reading about this recently and found some interesting data.

Not eating enough fat, carbohydrates, or protein has been linked to less quality sleep.

Caffeine and alcohol have been found to reduce sleep quality. Especially if it’s taken 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Foods that contain tryptophan have been found to improve sleep quality. While more information is needed on how food impacts sleep, research makes clear that sleep patterns influence how a person eats and how the body responds to food.

Sleeping fewer than seven hours per night for adults may increase hunger and make sugary and fattening foods seem more rewarding. Which leads to overeating.

Not getting enough sleep may also reduce the body’s ability to break down sugar, leading to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart problems.

Research Suggests That These Foods May Help You Sleep:

• Tart cherry juice
• Cherries, especially the Jerte Valley and Montmorency tart cherry varieties
• Kiwi fruit
• Oily and fatty fish, like herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines, trout, and krill
• Oysters
• Poultry
• Milk & cheese
• Eggs
• Breads
• Beans
• Pumpkin seeds
• A diet high in vegetables
• Grain mixes containing tryptophan

So What Is Tryptophan?

Tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid found in many foods.

The body uses tryptophan to help make melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, and serotonin is thought to help regulate appetite, sleep, mood, and pain.

Eating simple carbohydrates that quickly turn into sugar in the bloodstream four hours before sleep has also been found to help people fall asleep faster.

Studies have also found that high-sugar and high-carbohydrate diets are associated with worse sleep.

What Foods Can Hurt Sleep?

• Foods and drinks containing caffeine 
• Foods and drinks containing alcohol 
• High-fat foods, especially saturated fat
• High-sugar foods
• Foods low in tryptophan
• Diets low in fiber 
• Diets high in carbohydrates and low in fat 

Also, skipping meals and snacking between meals or after dinner may reduce sleep quality and quantity. Eating too much food or too close to bedtime may also interfere with sleep.

So how do you aim for the right balance?

Try These Research Backed Tips:

• Consume a balanced diet
• Eat fruits and vegetables
• Eat at regular times (The timing of when a person eats meals can impact their circadian rhythms).
• Avoid sleep disruptors (like caffeine or alcohol)
• Avoid nighttime acid reflux

Digestion continues while you are sleeping. But digestion at night differs from digestion during the day. The muscle activity that moves food through the esophagus, stomach, and intestines slows down during sleep.

A person’s basal metabolic rate, or the amount of energy their brain and body uses, overall decreases during sleep.

However, the metabolic rate will increase during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is a stage of sleep known for vivid dreaming that’s more common in the second half of the night.

Some research suggests that maintaining good sleep health is associated with weight and fat loss. Falling short on sleep may lead to weight gain.

Sleeping less than the recommended amount is linked to a higher risk of developing obesity due to hormone dysregulation. Falling short on sleep may make a person feel hungrier, eat more, choose less healthy foods, and engage in less physical activity.

Although diet hasn’t been found to directly cause sleep disorders, some ways of eating may be related to or worsen sleep disorders.

Poor nutrition has been found to contribute to insomnia. Unhealthy eating may lead to obesity, and obesity increases a person’s risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Eating Habits That Improve Sleep:

Key to improving nighttime rest is picking an eating regimen with plenty of compounds that promote sleep.

This doesn’t come down to any one food or ingredient. It’s more of a holistic profile with various helpful components.

Avoid foods that cause inflammation

A common denominator between unhealthy carbs and saturated fats is that they both produce inflammation across the body, an issue linked to lower sleep quality and duration.

Start eating early, stop eating early

Having meals too close to bedtime can hinder sleep. It’s important to wrap up eating for the day a few hours before turning in for the night.

Your final meal could feature a plant-based protein such as tofu—which is filling, contains tryptophan, and keeps inflammation low.

And a healthy carb like chickpeas to support tryptophan’s passage into the brain. Time it 2-4 hours before bed; that’s how long it takes for tryptophan levels in the body to peak. 

Sleep and nutrition is a balance we must try to achieve to stay healthy.