Higher-quality diets are associated with better sleep quality in observational studies. However, a better understanding of this association is needed given that dietary modifications could represent a novel and natural approach to achieve better sleep.
To examine how daytime dietary intakes influence sleep quality on the following night using multiple days of self-reported diet monitoring and objective sleep measured under free-living conditions.
Participants were younger US adults with average habitual sleep duration between 7 and 9 hours per night. Diet was assessed using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool. Sleep was measured using wrist actigraphy. Sleep fragmentation index was used for objective assessment of sleep quality.
Thirty-four participants (age: 28.3±6.6years, BMI: 24.1±3.9 kg/m2, 82.3% males, 50.0% racial/ethnic minority) provided 201 paired diet-sleep data. Greater daytime intakes of fruits and vegetables (β-coefficient (SE)=−0.60 (0.29), P=.038) and carbohydrates (−0.02 (0.007), P=.022), but not added sugar (P=.54), were associated with lower sleep fragmentation index. Trends toward associations of higher intakes of red and processed meat (P=.10) with more disrupted sleep, as well as higher fiber (P=.08) and magnesium (P=.09) intakes with less disrupted sleep, were observed.
Higher daytime intakes of fruits and vegetables and carbohydrates that align with a healthy diet were associated with less disrupted nighttime sleep. A 5-cup increase (from no intake) in fruits and vegetables, meeting dietary recommendations, was associated with 16% better sleep quality. These findings suggest that diets rich in complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables may promote better sleep health.
Higher daytime intake of fruits and vegetables predicts less disrupted nighttime sleep in younger adults. Boege, Hedda L. et al. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, Volume 11, Issue 5, 590 - 596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2025.05.003
Source: Sleep Health
