The DOI matches its Crossref record; 105 of the 105 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Diet promotes sleep duration and quality
Abstract
Sleep, much like eating, is an essential part of life. The mechanisms of sleep are only partially clear and are the subject of intense research. There is increasing evidence showing that sleep has an influence on dietary choices. Both cross-sectional and epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that those who sleep less are more likely to consume energy-rich foods (such as fats or refined carbohydrates), to consume fewer portions of vegetables, and to have more irregular meal patterns. In this narrative review, we pose the opposite question: can ingested food affect sleep? The purpose of this review is to discuss the evidence linking diet and sleep and to determine whether what we eat and what kind of nutrients we obtain from the food consumed before bedtime matter. In addition, scientific evidence behind traditional sleep-promoting foods such as milk and some herbal products is briefly described. These are reviewed using data from clinical trials, mostly in healthy subjects. In addition, we discuss the possible mechanisms behind these observations. Lastly, we summarize our findings that emerging evidence confirms a link between diet and sleep. Overall, foods impacting the availability of tryptophan, as well as the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin, may be the most helpful in promoting sleep. Although there are clear physiological connections behind these effects, the clinical relevance needs to be studied further.
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In the citing paper
“It is known that eating the right combination of foods before going to sleep and what foods to avoid in the evening may be beneficial in enhancing sleep [146].”
From The 4R’s Framework of Nutritional Strategies for Post-Exercise Recovery: A Review with Emphasis on New Generation of Carbohydrates (2020) · cites this paper as [146]
In the citing paper
“large portions and/or meals later in the evening can negatively impact sleep potentially due to the thermogenic effect of digestion) can affect circadian rhythms [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“as well as the timing and quantity of meals (large portions and/or meals later in the evening can negatively impact sleep potentially due to the thermogenic effect of digestion) can affect circadian rhythms [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Increased tryptophan and melatonin concentrations appear to be the property responsible for the sleep promoting effect of night time milk.”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Melatonin is a naturally-occurring compound in cow’s milk, but its concentration increases significantly if cows are milked in darkness at night referred to as ‘night time milk’ [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Carbohydrates affect plasma tryptophan:LNAA ratio and may compliment the sleep enhancing effect of consuming tryptophan rich protein [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Sleep can be promoted either by inhibiting wake-promoting mechanisms or by increasing sleep promoting factors through nutritional interventions [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Niacin can be synthesised endogenously from tryptophan via the Kynurenine Pathway, therefore, consuming a sufficient amount of niacin is necessary to inhibit 2,3-dioxygenase activity eliciting a tryptophan sparing effect, increasing its availability for synthesis serotonin and melatonin [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Magnesium is also believed to enhance melatonin secretion promoting sleep onset and act as a GABA agonist, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts on the CNS [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Vitamin B12 contributes to melatonin secretion, pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is involved in the synthesis of serotonin from tryptophan and niacin (vitamin B3) may elicit a tryptophan sparing effect [40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
In the citing paper
“Nutrients such as antioxidants, tryptophan rich protein, carbohydrate, melatonin, micronutrients and fruit can affect sleep [37,39,40].”
From Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes (2019) · cites this paper as [40]
Citations
Cites
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“that individual eating episodes are highly interrelated; thus, the timing of the previous meal and the resulting satiety largely determine the time and size of the followingmeal [14].”
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Casein peptide release and passage to the blood in humans during digestion of milk or yogurt.
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The Association of Sleep Duration with Adolescents' Fat and Carbohydrate Consumption
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Nutritional recommendations for CoVID-19 quarantine
Muscogiuri, G., Barrea, L., Savastano, S., & Colao, A. (2020) · European Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1038/s41430-020-0635-2 · Cited by 545
“Further, beyond sleep-inducing properties, milk products such as yogurt could also augmented natural killer cell activity and reduce the risk of respiratory infections [6] During quarantine the increased intake of macronutrients could also be accompanied by micronutrients deficiency as occurs in obesity [7] , which is…”
BackgroundShort sleep duration and dietary intake: epidemiologic evidence, mechanisms, and health implications
Dashti, H. S., Scheer, F. A., Jacques, P. F., Lamon-Fava, S., & Ordovás, J. M. (2015) · Advances in Nutrition · doi:10.3945/an.115.008623 · Cited by 503
“First, all of the epidemiologic evidence to date is derived from cross-sectional analyses, which cannot inform temporal relations or causal pathways, and it is conceivable that dietary intake has an impact on sleep (82) or that there are shared underlying interindividual differences that affect both sleep and diet in…”
BackgroundSleep patterns, diet quality and energy balance
Chaput, J. (2013) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.09.006 · Cited by 496
“Here again, robust scientific evidence supporting this is, in many cases, nonexistent [80].”
InfluentialAssociation between diet and sleep quality: A systematic review
Godos, J., Grosso, G., Castellano, S., Galvano, F., Caraci, F., & Ferri, R. (2021) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101430 · Cited by 401
Katagiri, R., Asakura, K., Kobayashi, S., Suga, H., Sasaki, S., & the Three‐generation Study of Women on Diets and Health Study Group (2014) · Journal of Occupational Health · doi:10.1539/joh.14-0051-oa · Cited by 253
Metadata
- Authors
- Peuhkuri, K., Sihvola, N., & Korpela, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Peuhkuri, Katri
- Venue
- Nutrition Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-05
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 309-319
- ISSN
- 0271-5317 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1976640730
- Cited by
- 470
- References
- 105
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 1.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nutrition Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Tekes
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Keywords
- diet and sleep, sleep duration, sleep quality, tryptophan, serotonin, melatonin, milk, meal patterns, vegetable consumption, refined carbohydrates
- MeSH terms
- Diet, Humans, Melatonin, Serotonin, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Tryptophan
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