New research has found that a poor diet may cause insomnia. If you love your sleep, you may want to change what you’re eating.
The research on insomnia
A team of scientists looked at the data from 53,000+ people to see if there was a link between insomnia and dietary choices.
They found that foods high in refined carbs—including white bread, white rice, soda and sugar—were linked to a higher risk of insomnia. Still, it’s not necessary causation, because there is still a question about whether eating the foods led to the insomnia or if people with insomnia were more likely to eat more refined carbs, especially foods high in sugar. But the researchers think there may be an underlying mechanism that explains why sugars cause sleep issues.
“When blood sugar is raised quickly, your body reacts by releasing insulin,” explains senior study author James Gangwisch, Ph.D., “and the resulting drop in blood sugar can lead to the release of hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can interfere with sleep.”
Why fruits don’t cause insomnia
Not all foods containing sugar will create the same effect in the body. Fruits and vegetables, which contain natural sugars, are far less likely to raise your blood sugar as fast as foods with added sugars.
Fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber, which helps the body absorb the sugar at a slower pace. So, people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables (not fruit juice, which has sugar but less fiber) are less likely to have an increased risk of insomnia.
More studies need to be done to determine causation though. Also, because this study was done with only women over 50, researchers would like to see if they’d get the same results on men and people of varying ages.
