Milk your diet for all it’s worth.
If you’re not catching enough zzzs at night, you may not be getting enough nutrients. New research out of Japan found that the carbohydrates, fiber, proteins and fats we consume can directly influence our ability to fall asleep as well as the duration and quality of our slumber.
“This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between macronutrients, dietary components and sleep parameters,” wrote researchers from the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (IIIS) at the University of Tsukuba.
The study authors analyzed data from 4,825 users of the Pokémon Sleep and Asken smartphone apps. Pokémon Sleep is a sleep-tracking video game that grants rewards based on sleep quality, while Asken is a nutrition app that ceases operations on Feb. 28.
Participants, mostly women with an average age of 37, had to use the apps for at least a week.
IIIS researchers determined that two dietary aspects can affect total sleep time and quality — protein and fiber.
Eat more protein
Participants with higher protein intake slept an average of 10 to 11 minutes longer than those who ate less protein.
The amount of protein you need has been hotly debated on social media — especially TikTok — for years.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight — or 0.36 grams per pound. For a 150-pound person, that’s 54 grams of protein daily.
But some dietitians and weight loss coaches swear by much more protein, like 90 or 120 grams.
Good sources of protein include lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, milk and tofu.
Increasing protein intake in place of other nutrients was associated with 16 minutes more sleep in the new study.
Participants who ate lots of fat, meanwhile, slept six to 10 minutes less on average and had longer sleep disturbances.
Not all fats are created equal — monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil, eggs and pecans, translated to an extra five minutes to fall asleep and more time awake during the night.
However, polyunsaturated fats found in fish, walnuts and vegetable oils shortened the time to fall asleep and the length of disruptions.
Boost your fiber intake
Eating more dietary fiber was linked to longer sleep, less time to fall asleep and less time awake if sleep was interrupted.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 25 to 30 daily grams of dietary fiber — though most Americans only consume around 15 grams a day.
High-fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.
A higher-carb diet also meant shorter sleep disturbances.
On the other side, consuming foods with more salt than potassium meant six to 11 minutes less sleep, one or two more minutes to fall asleep and longer sleep disruptions.
The findings were published recently in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, but the study authors cautioned against drawing conclusions because there were several limitations to the research.
Participants may have inaccurately reported their diets and sleep patterns, and researchers didn’t take into account their alcohol and smoking habits, marital status, medical history, medication use and other factors.
“Although this study is cross-sectional, the results highlight the complex potential role of dietary factors in sleep regulation and suggest the possibility of dietary interventions to enhance sleep health,” they wrote.
