A new study suggests that eating more fruits and vegetables might help you get better sleep.
Researchers from Finland’s University of Helsinki, National Institute for Health and Welfare, and Turku University of Applied Sciences explored how diet affects sleep.
Their findings were published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Sleep is crucial for our bodies to rest and recover. It helps our hearts, muscles, immune systems, and brains work well. Good sleep also supports our cognitive abilities and memory.
Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
Unfortunately, many people are not getting enough sleep, which can lead to health problems like heart disease and decreased cognitive ability.
The researchers wanted to see if there was a link between how much fruits and vegetables people eat and how long they sleep. They also looked at how people’s natural sleep patterns (chronotypes) might affect their diet and sleep.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults eat at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily. The Nordic Council of Ministers suggests even more, between 500 and 800 grams. However, many people don’t meet these recommendations.
In Finland, only 14% of men and 22% of women eat the recommended 500 grams of fruits, vegetables, and berries daily.
The study analyzed data from over 5,000 adults. Participants filled out a detailed questionnaire about their diet, sleep habits, and chronotypes.
They were categorized into three sleep groups: short sleepers (less than 7 hours), normal sleepers (7-9 hours), and long sleepers (more than 9 hours).
The researchers found that normal sleepers ate more fruits and vegetables than both short and long sleepers. Specifically, normal sleepers consumed more green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and fruit vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers.
They also ate more berries and other fruits compared to short sleepers. Among long sleepers, only apple consumption differed significantly from normal sleepers.
The study found that chronotypes (whether people are morning or evening types) had little impact on the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and sleep duration. Previous studies showed that evening types might have less healthy eating habits, but this study found minimal effects.
The study suggests that eating more fruits and vegetables can help improve sleep duration.
It highlights the importance of consuming specific types of fruits and vegetables, like green leafy vegetables and fruit vegetables, for better sleep. More research is needed to understand these relationships fully and their implications for public health.
By increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables, we can potentially improve our sleep and overall health.
If you care about sleep, please read studies about herb that could help you sleep well at night, and these drugs could lower severity of sleep apnea by one third.
For more information about sleep, please see recent studies that coffee boosts your physical activity, cuts sleep, affects heartbeat, and results showing how to deal with “COVID-somnia” and sleep well at night.
