What you eat changes how you sleep, not just when
Marie-Pierre St-Onge's research on diet quality, Walker's review of foods such as kiwi and tart cherry and Huberman's use of evening carbohydrates all connect the content of meals to sleep quality. It adds a second food lever beside meal timing.
Besides timing, what about food affects sleep? Show answer
What you eat. St-Onge's studies link fiber, saturated fat, sugar and refined carbohydrate to how deep and how disrupted sleep is.
Which nutrient did St-Onge link to more deep sleep? Show answer
Fiber. Higher intakes of fiber were associated with more deep sleep.
What did St-Onge link to less deep sleep and to more arousals? Show answer
Saturated fat went with less deep sleep. Refined carbohydrates and simple sugars went with more arousals, which are shifts from deeper to lighter sleep.
What happened to sleep on the day participants chose their own food in St-Onge's inpatient study? Show answer
Duration did not change, but they took over 70% longer to fall asleep and deep sleep fell by roughly 20%.
How long before bed does St-Onge finish her last meal, and why? Show answer
At least three hours. Eating raises body heat just when the body needs to cool down for sleep.
What does Walker say about alcohol as a sleep aid? Show answer
It is anything but. It sedates instead of producing natural sleep, fragments the night and strongly blocks REM, and even one glass of wine with dinner has measurable effects.
When should you stop caffeine, according to Walker? Show answer
Eight to ten hours before bedtime. Caffeine's half-life is five to six hours, and espresso after dinner can cost up to 30% of deep sleep.
Which foods have trial results for sleep in Walker's review? Show answer
Tart cherry juice and whole kiwi fruit. He calls the evidence preliminary.
How much did melatonin help healthy adults in the meta-analysis Walker cites? Show answer
It added only 3.9 minutes of sleep and 2.2% in sleep efficiency.
Why does Huberman eat a carbohydrate-rich dinner? Show answer
He finds carbohydrates promote calm and the transition to sleep, and they replenish glycogen after training. He presents it as his own routine.
How can St-Onge's and Huberman's views on carbohydrates fit together? Show answer
Her finding concerns refined carbohydrate and sugar and broken sleep; his concerns feeling calm and falling asleep. The kind of carbohydrate may matter, though no source tests that directly.
When should you see a doctor instead of changing your diet? Show answer
If you have persistent insomnia, loud snoring or a medical condition that affects what you can eat. Food will not fix a sleep disorder.