What you eat has a broad range of effects on your body, including on your sleep. The content and the timing of your diet changes your sleep patterns. The amount of carbohydrates -- sugars -- present in your diet appears especially important, according to a 2008 thesis, "Studies Investigating the Influence of Macronutrient Intake on Sleep." Carbohydrates affect sleep during all stages of development. They also affect different measures of sleep quality.
Sleep Duration in Children
Sleep, important throughout life, plays a critical role during your first few years. Preschool children with short sleep durations often develop behavioral problems, according to a 2011 report in the "Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine." Having a proper diet might prevent these problems, by extending sleep duration. A study described in the June 2011 issue of "Clinical Nutrition" evaluated this idea in infants. The authors compared data from the kids' dietary records and sleep logs during three days. Results indicated that higher carbohydrate intake correlated with longer sleep. In fact, the longest sleep appeared after the highest carbohydrate intake.
Sleep Duration in Adolescents
Sleep is important during adolescence as well. A July 2006 report in the "International Journal of Obesity" showed that overweight kids were more likely to sleep less. The mechanism underlying this finding remains unknown, but it may relate to carbohydrate intake. An investigation presented in the August 2010 edition of the "Endocrine Journal" tested this hypothesis in teenage girls. Researchers obtained food and sleep logs from participants during a hospital stay. Adolescents who ate more carbohydrates slept less than those who ate fewer carbohydrates. This finding -- which contrasts the data obtained in infants -- suggests a developmental change in how your body uses carbohydrates.
Sleep Duration in Adults
Scientists report similar observations in women and men. A June 2004 study in "Sleep" followed the behavior of young adults for 13 years. The results indicated that overweight adults sleep less. Trends in the data showed that the faster the adults gained weight, the faster their sleep became truncated. Carbohydrate intake again appears to explain these findings. Excess carbohydrate intake is associated with the development of diabetic symptoms. According to a May 2008 report in "Sleep," diabetic symptoms are more common in short sleepers. Thus carbohydrates might affect adult sleep indirectly by beginning a cascade of events leading to diabetes.
Sleep Onset in Adults
Carbohydrates also affect other measures of sleep quality. Sugary foods facilitate the entry of natural sleep-promoting chemicals such as tryptophan into the brain, according to a January 2003 article in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." This finding suggests that high-carbohydrate foods should make you feel sleepy. A study published in the February 2007 issue of that same journal looked at the impact of sugary foods on sleep onset. Subjects received either a high-sugar meal or a low-sugar meal four hours before bedtime. Consuming the high-sugar meal caused the participants to fall asleep faster. The authors speculated that sugary foods could therefore be used to treat insomnia, but additional research remains necessary.
References
- "Studies Investigating the Influence of Macronutrient Intake on Sleep"; Ahmad Afaghi; 2008
- "Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine"; Short Sleep Duration and Irregular Bedtime are Associated With Increased Behavioral Problems Among Japanese Preschool-Age Children; Yoko Komada, et al.; 2011
- "Clinical Nutrition"; Associations Between the Macronutrient Composition of the Evening Meal and Average Daily Sleep Duration in Early Childhood; Katharina Diethelm, et al.; June 2011
- "International Journal of Obesity"; Relationship Between Short Sleeping Hours and Childhood Overweight/Obesity; Jean-Philippe Chaput, et al.; July 2006
- "Endocrine Journal"; Subjective Sleep Duration and Quality Influence Diet Composition and Circulating Adipocytokines and Ghrelin Levels in Teenage Girls; Dara Al-Disi, et al.; August 2010
- "Sleep"; Association Between Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Young Adults; Gregor Hasler, et al.; June 2004
