The Dietary Mistake That Causes Insomnia Revealed

Lack of protein and excess carbohydrates in the diet can worsen sleep quality regardless of blood sugar levels, according to scientists from George Mason University and the Maine Health Research Institute.

As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to Frontiers in Nutrition, 66,148 adult men and women participated in the large-scale study. Over 13 years, from 2007 to 2020, specialists carefully analyzed the participants' sleep quality, comparing it with dietary patterns and blood glucose levels.

The study results revealed that people with diabetes and prediabetes significantly more often experienced insomnia and fragmented, that is, interrupted, sleep. In addition, with elevated blood sugar levels, sleep duration frequently deviated substantially from the norm.

The most unfavorable diet for healthy sleep turned out to be one with low protein content and high fat levels - this type of diet was consistently associated with deterioration in the quality of night rest. At the same time, a diet with reduced carbohydrate content and relatively high fat content noticeably reduced the risk of dangerous "shortening" of sleep both in people with impaired carbohydrate metabolism and in participants without diabetes.

An unexpected discovery for scientists was that stricter control of diet and glucose levels was also associated with deterioration in sleep quality.

The authors of the study particularly emphasized that sleep quality depends not only on daily routine and sleep hygiene. Eating habits and glucose level control can play an underestimated role in forming healthy night rest, and universal dietary recommendations are not always equally effective for full body recovery.