Sleep is crucial for physical and mental function, immune response, and cognitive performance. In today’s fast-paced world, a large portion of the population struggles with sleep issues due to hectic lifestyles and poor work-life balance.
A new study has revealed that specific types of foods like those high in fiber or fat may influence your sleep quality. A team of researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan dug into the data of 4,825 people who were using mobile apps for sleep tracking and diet monitoring. They cross-referenced the stats while accounting for variations in age, sex, and BMI, Science Alert reported.
“Greater total energy, fat, and sodium intakes were associated with shorter total sleep time, whereas greater protein and dietary fiber intakes were linked to longer total sleep time,” write the researchers in their published paper.
The researchers found that a greater proportion of fiber in their diet also tended to fall asleep more quickly and wake up less often once they were asleep. A similar link between fiber and sleep quality has been reported in earlier studies, Science Alert reported.
The researchers emphasised that you can improve your sleep quality by upgrading your bedrooms, cutting down drinking and incorporating proteins and fibres in your diet.
“Dietary intake and sleep are known to have a bidirectional relationship,” write the researchers. “The intake of healthy foods is associated with improved sleep quality, whereas consuming processed foods and foods high in free sugars has been shown to deteriorate sleep quality.”
The research has been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.