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No products in the cart. Home All Specialties Chronic Disease. Altered carbohydrate and protein intake may affect sleep quality by Raahulan Rathagirishnan and Avneesh Bhangu.

September 20, in Chronic Disease , Gastroenterology , Wellness. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. Evidence Rating Level: 2 Good. RELATED REPORTS.

Habitual short sleepers with comorbidities at increased risk of long COVID. Model predicts workplace vigilance from single sleep using under-mattress sensor.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy improves sleep in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Tags: carbs NREM obese overweight protein REM sleep.

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Related Reports. Chronic Disease. Habitual short sleepers with comorbidities at increased risk of long COVID February 13, See how your sleep habits and environment measure up and gauge how adjusting behavior can improve sleep quality.

Your profile will connect you to sleep-improving products, education, and programs curated just for you. Use of this quiz and any recommendations made on a profile are subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Table of Contents. Eating Carbs Before Bed May Help You Fall Asleep.

What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Carbs? Is It Better to Eat Complex or Simple Carbs Before Bed? What Are the Best Carbs to Eat Before Bed? Michael Breus.

Are Low-Carb Diets Bad for Sleep? Talking To Your Doctor About Your Diet. See More. About The Author. Alison Deshong Staff Writer, Product Testing Team. Ask the Sleep Doctor Have questions about sleep?

Recommended reading. What You May Not Know About Nutrition and Sleep. How Does Sugar Affect Sleep? Intermittent Fasting and Sleep. Does Warm Milk Help You Sleep? Can Caffeine Cause Insomnia? Understanding Tryptophan. Does Kiwi Help You Sleep? Should You Eat Carbs Before Bed? Tart Cherry Juice For Sleep: Benefits and Efficacy.

How Do Energy Drinks Affect Sleep? What Foods Contain Caffeine? Can Eating at Night Affect Sleep? Can Omega 3 Fatty Acids From Fish Oil Help Sleep?

Can Jujube Help Sleep? Does Matcha Help You Sleep? The Best Teas for Sleep.

This eating plan is based on the premise that the healthiest diet is one that sticks close to what our ancient human ancestors consumed.

That means unprocessed foods, like lean meat, fruits, and vegetables, and excludes dairy products, grains, and sugars. In practice, Paleo eating often tends to skew pretty low-carb. But studies have shown a paleo diet can improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, cholesterol and other markers of heart disease, and help people lose weight.

Paleo diets have also been shown to reduce waist circumference, which is associated with heart disease, diabetes and sleep problems, including obstructive sleep apnea.

What you eat on a paleo diet : Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut, olive and other healthful oils. The Mediterranean diet is among the most well studied, and has shown broad benefits for health and longevity, as well as specific benefits for sleep.

Much of the research is limited to short-term investigations of how different combinations and amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats affect our sleep patterns. That said, there is scientific research that is contributing to an emerging picture of how ketogenic and Paleo diets may impact our sleeping lives.

There are a number of studies in progress that explore these now-popular diet trends in relation to sleep and other measurements of health. And other research that examines the effects of macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—can help shed light on what to expect from your sleep when using these dietary plans.

A small number of studies show the keto diet may offer benefits for sleep, both through weight loss and other pathways. A just-released study on the effects of keto found that adhering to this eating plan helped reduce daytime sleepiness in a group of obese patients.

Previous studies have found similar results, along with increases to REM sleep. Other research has shown ketogenic diets increase REM sleep and sleep quality in a group of children with epilepsy. Adenosine builds up in the body throughout the day, decreasing wakefulness as the day goes on and eventually promoting deeper slow-wave sleep at night.

Studies show a ketogenic diet promotes adenosine activity in the body, helping to relax the nervous system, as well as reducing pain and inflammation—all of which can help improve sleep. We need to see more research to better understand the relationship of ketogenic diets to adenosine, and to sleep directly.

Research on the effects to sleep of high-protein diets is mixed. Studies show consuming greater amounts of protein is linked to longer sleep times, more consistent sleep patterns, and higher sleep quality. Recent research indicates that high-protein diets in people who are overweight may lead to improvements to sleep.

Studies on the effect of carbohydrates has also been mixed. Some research has shown people with sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea tend to consume less carbohydrates than people without these sleep disorders.

However, other research shows reductions to slow-wave sleep in people who consume high-carb diets, compared to low-carb. Generally, diets that derive their carbohydrates from healthy, fiber-rich whole foods are associated with better sleep.

The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole foods, lean proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, a moderate amount of grain, is linked to improvements in insomnia and other sleep problems.

The effects on sleep when changing your diet may depend heavily on the types of carbohydrates you eat, especially in the evening. A big reduction in carbohydrate intake can cause changes to sleep patterns.

Some research suggests following a keto diet can improve sleep quality, while other studies show high-fat diets are linked to more disruptive sleep and trouble falling asleep.

From talking with my patients, I know people who start eating paleo sometimes have a harder time sleeping, similar to people who adopt a ketogenic eating plan. The shift away from carbohydrates and toward protein may explain these sleep issues.

Carbohydrates increase levels of the tryptophan in the brain, which helps facilitate sleep. Protein, on the other hand, increases levels of tyrosine, an amino acid that triggers the production of stimulating brain chemicals, including epinephrine and norepinephrine.

By limiting carbohydrates, while at the same time elevating the alertness, individuals may experience difficulty falling asleep and getting a full night of rest. A diet that helps you get safely to a healthy weight and stay there will benefit your sleep.

Fiber: A type of carb your body can't digest. Found in fruit and veg, fiber is important for health. Complex carbs: Long strings of sugar molecules that are found in vegetables and whole grains.

They're a good source of energy. Simple carbs: Sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose that your cells can absorb quickly. You can find these in fruit and milk, for example. Refined or processed carbs: These are sugars or grains that have been refined, removing most nutrients.

These are found in white pasta, white rice, white bread, and table sugar. Added sugars: Manufacturers add these to foods during processing. They tend to be simple carbs and don't add any nutritional value. One of the challenging aspects of studying nutrition is that everyone has different dietary habits, and those habits can change from day to day.

For instance, one group of researchers fed 26 participants a fixed diet while they stayed in a sleep research facility for 6 days. The scientists found that when participants ate higher levels of saturated fat and lower levels of fiber, they slept more lightly than when they ate their standard diet.

They also found that when participants ate more sugar or other non-fiber carbohydrates, participants woke up more regularly throughout the night. Overall, the authors conclude:.

Other scientists have also shown that consuming more non-fiber carbs can increase the number of times someone wakes during the night.

Sign up for fresh insights into our scientific discoveries and the latest nutrition updates. No spam, just science. Another study looked at this question from the opposite direction. They wanted to know whether eating a very low-carb diet for 2 days might influence sleep.

To investigate, they recruited 14 healthy men aged 18— They found that consuming very little carbohydrate reduced the amount of rapid eye movement REM, or dream sleep and increased the amount of deeper slow-wave sleep. This suggests that low-carb diets, such as the keto diet, might influence sleep.

One group of researchers investigated insomnia in postmenopausal women. Could carbohydrates be involved? The authors of the study , who had access to data from tens of thousands people, concluded:.

They also found that higher fruit, vegetable, and fiber intake were associated with lower odds of insomnia. So again, different types of carbs had opposite effects: Fiber was associated with reduced insomnia, and quick-release sugars were associated with increased insomnia.

In line with the insomnia research above, a number of studies have found links between soda consumption and poor sleep. For instance, an Iranian study of almost adults found that sugar-sweetened beverages were associated with reduced sleep quality.

Similarly, some Korean research concluded that children who drank more soda and sweet drinks slept for fewer hours each night. A study — although from the s — shows this effect. Scientists gave participants either a large carbohydrate dose in supplement form or a placebo.

Compared with the placebo group, participants who took the carb supplement woke up less often during the night, had more REM sleep, and had less light sleep. Another small trial involving 12 healthy men tested the effects of a high-glycemic index meal on sleep compared with a low-glycemic index meal.

Scientists sometimes use the glycemic index to help assess how quickly a food might affect blood sugar levels. For instance, white rice is broken down quickly in your gut and, for some people, can cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly.

So, white rice has a high glycemic index. At the other end of the scale, foods like vegetables and nuts tend to break down much slower, and sugar is released into the bloodstream more gradually. Therefore, veggies and nuts have a low glycemic index. Even identical twins could have different blood sugar responses to the same high-glycemic index meal.

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