Recent Study Gives Clues on How Diet Impacts Sleep
Worried about how your diet impacts the quality and length of sleep you’re getting at night? Read here to find out what foods to avoid eating before going to sleep and why they should be avoided.
Categories of sleep length:
The first thing Dr. Mercola does is break down different lengths of sleep per night into categories. Here they are below:
- Very short sleepers (less than 5 hours a night): Had the least food variety, drank less water and consumed fewer total carbohydrates and lycopene (an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables).
- Short sleepers (5-6 hours): Consumed the most calories but ate less vitamin C and selenium, and drank less water. Short sleepers tended to eat more lutein and zeaxanthin than other groups.
- Normal sleepers (7-8 hours): Had the most food variety in their diet, which is generally associated with a healthier way of eating.
- Long sleepers (9 or more hours): Consumed the least calories as well as less theobromine (found in chocolate and tea), choline and total carbs. Long sleepers tended to drink more alcohol.
Types of Food that Most Harm Sleep
The 5 foods to avoid if you want a good night sleep are:
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Dark Chocolate
- Spicy Foods
- Unhealthy Foods
How can this information impact your sleep quality?
Unhealthy foods are filled with sugar or lots of carbs. These can increase your blood sugar level, impacting your sleep length and quality. To learn more, check out an article we wrote here!
Similarly, avoid Coffee and Dark Chocolate because caffeine stimulates your energy and makes it harder for you to fall asleep. In general, as Dr. Mercola points out and the medical consensus seems to be, you should avoid 3 hours before going to sleep.
For the entire article, read more here.
For great sleep, we have powerful suggestions here.
Last Updated: May 2nd, 2024
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Edited by Bill Bistak B Sc.,SEO/SEM Spc, CRT
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