Many people recognise the importance of sleep and a healthy diet, but very few of us understand how one impacts the other. We investigate research that explains sleep & eating including the importance of what food you eat and importantly don’t eat.
Sleep & Eating – Now that its March and 2019 is in full swing, hopefully the enthusiasm for your new years resolutions has now turned into routine. Improving sleep or eating a healthy diet are popular resolutions, but most people don’t realise that sleep and diet have a strong influence over each other.
Research has found that those people who have an inadequate amount or quality of sleep at night tend to have unhealthier eating habits. Reaching for foods with a higher energy content, developing irregular eating patterns and eating less vegetables are common behaviours seen in those people who are not getting the quality sleep that their body needs. However, if you are someone who is trying to get better sleep at night, then looking at your diet and eating habits is one of the first places that you will want to start.
There is a general consensus that moderating caffeine intake during the day, avoiding foods with a high sugar content in the evening, and getting your recommended daily dose of fibre each day will help you get that quality sleep we all need.
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For further information:
Source: SciVerse Science Direct – Nutrition Research
Title: Diet promotes sleep duration and quality
Read time: 10+ minutes
Source: Ocford Academic – Advances in Nutrition
Title: Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality
Read time: 10+ minutes