Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always as easy as we’d like. There are multiple factors at play that can affect sleep. We’ve tested various sleep aids, from sleepytime teas and warm milk to a glass of wine. But getting better sleep might not require going much further than the kitchen. A recent study found that eating more fruits and vegetables during the day could help you sleep better.
Researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine and Columbia University published the study’s findings in Sleep Health: The Journal of the National Sleep Foundation. They found that those who consumed more fruits and vegetables and carbohydrates (but not added sugar) had less sleep fragmentation (awakenings during sleep). Higher fiber and magnesium consumption was also linked to better sleep, while a higher intake of red meat and processed meat was found to result in more disrupted sleep.
While previous observational studies found that those with diets rich in produce had better sleep quality, a press release from UChicago Medicine says that this study was the first to draw a connection between diet during the day and its correlation to sleep that same night. Participants wore monitors on their wrists to track sleep quality and self-reported their diet.
Based on the study’s prediction models, consuming 5 cups of fruits and vegetables could reduce your sleep fragmentation index (sleep quality) by 16%, compared to those that consume no fruits and veggies. Eating 5 cups of produce a day is in line with the CDC’s guidelines. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults consume 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day.
Study co-senior author and director of the UChicago Sleep Center Esra Tasali, MD, said in the press release that “16 percent is a highly significant difference.”
It’s worth noting that the study was conducted on a small group of 34 participants, all of whom were 20 to 49 years of age. The press release says that future studies will help find causation and widen the findings across a more diverse population.
“Dietary modifications could be a new, natural, and cost-effective approach to achieve better sleep,” said Tasali.
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