Good quality sleep is essential for maintaining physical and mental health. Adults should aim to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night, but many struggle to achieve this goal. Studies have investigated the effect of diet on sleep quality and have found that a healthful diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, may improve sleep in some individuals. A recent study has suggested that plant proteins may improve sleep quality, while animal proteins could have the opposite effect. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults get a minimum of 7 hours of quality sleep each night to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, obesity, impaired immune function, memory problems, and cognitive issues.
During sleep, a person’s blood pressure and heart rate decrease, metabolism changes, hormones are balanced, breathing slows, and learning and memory are enhanced. To improve sleep quality, doctors advise maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, developing a relaxing bedtime routine, ensuring a comfortable sleep environment, avoiding electronic devices before bedtime, limiting caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine intake, exercising regularly, managing stress, and using relaxation techniques if necessary. Sleep quality may also be influenced by diet, and recent research has explored the relationship between protein intake and sleep quality. The study found that while overall protein intake had no effect, plant proteins may improve sleep quality, while animal proteins could impair it.
Researchers analyzed data from three cohorts of U.S. health professionals, consisting of 83,338 women and 14,796 men. Participants completed surveys assessing sleep quality, including sleep duration, latency, efficiency, disturbance, subjective quality, medication use, and daytime dysfunction due to sleep problems. The study found that women who consumed higher amounts of plant protein reported better sleep quality, while there was not a clear trend among men. Processed red meat and poultry consumption were associated with poorer sleep quality, with unprocessed red meat negatively impacting sleep in women. Dairy protein was linked to better sleep in one cohort, but not in the others, while fish consumption had no effect.
Tryptophan, an amino acid found in both plant and animal proteins, is essential for the production of serotonin and melatonin, neurotransmitters that promote sleep. Higher levels of tryptophan in plant proteins may enhance sleep quality due to the impact on the tryptophan to large neutral amino acids (LNAA) ratio. Other factors that may influence sleep quality include the overall diet quality, meal timing, caffeine and alcohol intake, exercise, and stress levels. Further research is needed to explore the complexities of the relationship between diet and sleep quality. While observational studies can suggest associations, well-designed intervention studies are necessary to confirm causality and provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of diet on sleep quality.
The study underscores the importance of a balanced and varied plant-based diet in promoting better sleep quality and overall health. However, the study authors caution that their findings cannot prove causality and suggest the need for targeted intervention studies to verify the results. Conducting intervention studies examining nutrition and sleep is challenging but essential to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving sleep quality through dietary choices. Overall, the study contributes to the growing body of literature on diet-sleep interactions and emphasizes the importance of considering various factors that may impact sleep quality when making dietary choices.
