We all know tiredness can lead to hunger, and vice versa. But there are so many other ways our habits in these areas are linked. Here are some easy tweaks to help us feel properly refreshed
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study published in the journal Nature Health last month found that food choices and meal timings have “immediate and measurable effects” on sleep. It was just the latest in a growing body of research into the link between diet and rest. Here is the latest science on what to eat for better sleep – and how sleep deprivation can affect your dinner the next day.
While there isn’t “a special sleep diet” that will guarantee eight undisturbed hours, a Mediterranean-style diet comes closest, says Dalhia Campbell, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. She describes it as “a balanced, varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, lean proteins and healthy fats to help stabilise energy and support the hormones involved in sleep”.
Prof Marie-Pierre St-Onge is the director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research at Columbia University in New York, and the author of Eat Better, Sleep Better. Her research into “plant-forward” diets, including the Mediterranean diet, is investigating why they are beneficial for sleep. She says this could be due partly to the phytonutrients in plant foods, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, and partly to nutrients that feed the gut microbiome and are involved in gut-brain communications. “That could play a role in improving sleep through helping people quiet their minds,” St-Onge says.
