When the weather is hot, many people are deeply aware that it is easy to sleep poorly. But as the weather gets cooler, some people may still not sleep well, or even suffer from insomnia, and there is a possibility that you are not eating right.
A recent study found that regular consumption of ultra-processed foods is more likely to cause insomnia.
Health Times Chart
People who eat ultra-processed foods are more likely to suffer from insomnia
A 2024 study of 38,570 adults published in the Journal of the Society of Nutrition and Dietetics found that regular consumption of ultra-processed foods can affect sleep quality and increase the risk of insomnia.
Screenshot of the study
Sleep questionnaires were administered and respondents' diets were recorded for at least two 24-hour periods.
The analysis found that a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with a 6% increase in the risk of chronic insomnia in all participants. Among them, male and female participants increased by 9% and 5%, respectively. ①
Why do ultra-processed foods affect sleep?
First, it's important to understand what ultra-processed foods are. We can't live without processed food, and we can't "kill it with a stick", but processed food and ultra-processed food are still different.
The so-called "ultra-processed food" refers to the food that has been processed on the basis of the food, which is usually added with a variety of food additives, often high in salt, sugar, fat, and low in vitamins and fiber.
Take a simple example (2):
In the case of bread and breakfast cereals, industrial bread made with only wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast is a processed food, while bread that also includes emulsifiers or colors in the ingredient list is ultra-processed.
Pure steel cut oatmeal, pure corn flakes, and flake cereal are the least processed foods, while the same foods that contain sugar are processed foods and are ultra-processed foods if they also contain flavors or colors.
Health Times Chart
Why do ultra-processed foods affect sleep? The specific reasons for the research and discussion are as follows:
(1) I often eat ultra-processed food, and the sugar, salt and fat in it will exceed the standard if I eat it slightly; At the same time, there is a lack of dietary fiber, it is easy to be constipated after eating too much, thirsty after eating too much salt, easy to get up at night after drinking too much water, sleeping and waking up, and it is difficult to avoid insomnia!
(2) The non-ultra-processed foods we eat daily such as livestock, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables will provide us with tryptophan that the human body cannot produce itself. But if we eat a lot of ultra-processed foods, tryptophan intake decreases, which affects the synthesis of melatonin, and also affects our sleep. ①③
Moreover, eating too many ultra-processed foods is not only as simple as affecting sleep. On February 28, 2024, a large-scale study published in the United Kingdom Medical Journal showed that excessive intake of ultra-processed foods was consistently associated with an increased risk of 32 adverse health outcomes, including cancer, serious heart and lung disease, mental illness and premature death. ④
Research Diagram
How do you eat to get a good night's sleep?
Insomnia can be eaten, and a good night's sleep can also be eaten! Suggestion:
1. Don't eat 90 minutes before bedtime
Dinner time should not be too late, otherwise when sleeping, the gastrointestinal and other digestive organs will be burdened and the blood sugar level will be high, which will have an adverse effect on the quality of sleep.
It is best not to eat 90 minutes before bedtime. Eating before bedtime, including drinking milk, can cause food to accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract, leaving the gastrointestinal tract without rest at night, affecting sleep quality. ⑤
2. Ensure grain intake
Many people lose weight and don't eat staple foods at all, but still have to eat some carbohydrates in moderation. The Expert Consensus on Nutritional Intervention for Elderly Patients with Sleep Disorders suggests that cereals, especially cereals, should account for 1/4~1/2. Carbohydrates rich in cereals are the main energy source for the nervous system, and multigrains are rich in B vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, niacin), magnesium, etc. ⑥
3. Supplement vitamins in moderation
Song Chenmeng, a dietitian from the Nutrition Department of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, published an article on the hospital's official account in 2022 that studies have shown that certain B vitamins, vitamin D, and vitamin C can improve sleep quality and shorten the time to fall asleep.
B vitamins B3, B6, B9, and B12 can improve sleep quality.
· Vitamin B3: high content of liver, kidney, lean meat, peanuts, tea, mushrooms, etc.;
· Vitamin B6: meat (especially liver), soybeans, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, walnuts;
· Vitamin B9: dark leafy greens, carrots, liver, egg yolks, beans, pumpkin, apricots;
· Vitamin B12: organ meat, meat, eggs.
Ren Xuan/photo
Vitamin D deficiency can cause poor sleep quality, short sleep duration, drowsiness, etc.
Vitamin D can be synthesized by the body in sunlight; Fatty fish such as mackerel, coquea, trout, herring, sardines, salmon, etc., can also be eaten.
Vitamin C is mainly found in vegetables and fruits, and it is significantly associated with sleep quality. ⑦
4. Eat some tryptophan foods
According to the Expert Consensus on Nutritional Intervention for Elderly Patients with Sleep Disorders, tryptophan, as a precursor of serotonin and melatonin, plays an important role in sleep regulation. Foods rich in tryptophan, including milk, chicken, fish, eggs, pumpkin seeds, beans, peanuts, cheese, and leafy greens, can help improve sleep quality. ⑥
Food sources of tryptophan
Table from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital(8)
5. Eat less caffeine foods
If you don't sleep well, you should pay attention to eating less caffeine foods. Common caffeinated beverages include cola, tea, energy drinks, coffee, etc.
According to the Expert Consensus on Nutritional Intervention for Elderly Patients with Sleep Disorders, moderate consumption of caffeine-containing beverages (50~200 mg/day) may have benefits such as improving mood and cognition, glucose metabolism, etc., while large intake of caffeine (>400 mg/day) may have adverse effects, such as anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, tachycardia and tremors. ⑥
This article is synthesized from:
①Pauline Duquenne,et al.,(2024). The association between ultra-processed food consumption and chronic insomnia in the NutriNet-Santé Study.Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2024.02.015.
(2)2024-03-04 Clinical Nutrition and Health, China Health Management Association, "Ultra-Processed Food: How to Define and Identify?" 》
(3)2024-08-25The First Hospital of Zhejiang University "Can't sleep and can't sleep well, maybe these foods are demons (not coffee, not tea)"
④Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ, doi: 10.1136/ bmj-2023-077310
https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310
(5)2024-04-27Healthy China "Eat right, sleep well! | Popular Science Time" (Student Health News)
(6) Clinical Nutrition Branch of Chinese Nutrition Society, Li Zhenshui, Chen Wei, et al. Chinese Journal of Geriatric Multi-Organ Diseases, 2023, 22(10):721-728.
(7) 2022-03-15 Beijing Huilongguan Hospital Do you know? A good night's sleep can be eaten"
(8)2024-09-02Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Eat right to sleep well"
Editor: Ren Xuan
Reviewer: Lu Yang