Eating These Foods Could Improve Sleep Quality By 16%, Reveals New Study

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6 days ago

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Struggling to sleep? A new study found a simple diet change that could help a lot.
New research suggests that eating five cups or more of fruits and veggies a day could give you up to a 16 percent increase in sleep quality.
Here's what to know about how foods can impact your Zzzs.
Calling all insomniacs! If you've already exhausted the standard sleep hygiene hacks like sleeping in a cool bedroom and staying off screens for at least an hour before bed, new research has another idea for you to try: Change up your diet.
A study, which was published in the journal Sleep Health makes the case for adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your daily meals, suggesting that you could see results as early as that same day (or rather, night).
It seems almost too good to be true. And bear in mind that switching up your eating habits won't magically transform your sleep, but experts say it could definitely help. Here's why, based on the results in this new study.
Meet the experts: Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, chief of Sleep Medicine at Northwestern Medicine; Ellen Wermter, FNP, a nurse practitioner and behavioral sleep medicine specialist; Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., is author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety
For the study, 34 healthy young adults with no known sleep issues were asked to log what they ate each day in an app. They also wore a wrist monitor that tracked how they slept.
The researchers found a link between what the participants ate during the day and how well they slept that night. Specifically, people who ate more fruits, veggies, and complex carbs had fewer sleep disruptions (waking up during the night) than those who didn't eat as healthy. People who ate more fiber and magnesium each day also had fewer sleep disruptions.
Ultimately, the researchers found that eating the recommended five cups or more of fruits and veggies a day could give you up to a 16 percent increase in sleep quality compared to someone who doesn't meet those recommendations.
Measuring out a serving depends on which type of produce you're eating, but for a 2,000-calorie diet, that usually means have about two cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
There are a few potential reasons the researchers noted this result in their study. On a basic level, balanced nutrition supports good overall health. 'It helps the body work more efficiently and be more resilient,' says Jessica Cording, RD, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety. 'That in and of itself can support a healthy circadian rhythm.' (Your circadian rhythm is the natural process in your body that regulates your sleep-wake cycle.)
But there's likely more to it than that. 'Fruits and vegetables have more antioxidants, and that can decrease inflammation,' says Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, chief of Sleep Medicine at Northwestern Medicine. 'High inflammation can disrupt your sleep.'
High-fiber diets (which usually include plenty of produce and complex carbs) also impact your gut microbiome, Dr. Zee points out. 'These bacteria in your gut are very important for overall health and sleep health,' she says.
Whole grains also contain the amino acid tryptophan. 'Tryptophan is a building block for serotonin and melatonin, which are essential for regulating sleep and mood and for maintaining a strong circadian rhythm,' says Ellen Wermter, NP, a family nurse practitioner and behavioral sleep medicine specialist.
Also notable: Eating complex carbs can help to keep glucose (aka blood sugar) levels stable, Dr. Zee says. 'That translates into the night, with better glucose regulation,' she says. 'If you have better glucose regulation, you also sleep better.'
Finally, choosing lots of fruits, veggies, and complex carbs means you're eating fewer unhealthy foods that may disrupt your sleep, like high-fat and processed foods, Wermter says. 'They also may contribute to an inflammatory state and cause more fluctuation in blood sugar which can lead to frequent awakenings,' she says.
Yep, these experts have a few tips and tricks on the dietary front to help you sleep better at night.
First? 'Avoid eating heavy meals close to bedtime,' Wermter says. This can cause indigestion and disrupt your sleep. It's also a good idea to avoid simple carbs like white bread and pasta before bed. 'Eating those will increase glucose levels and cause [glucose] spikes,' Dr. Zee says. And these spikes can interrupt sleep by making you have to pee more frequently, increasing dehydration, and increasing body temperature.
If you can, Dr. Zee recommends that you stop eating two to three hours before bed to allow your body to digest your food and for your melatonin levels to increase. 'All of those things together can help people fall asleep better and sleep better,' she says.
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