Junk food interferes with deep sleep

2023-06-22 11:56:18

written on June 22, 2023 at 1:56 p.m.

It is not a novelty that eating is associated with sleep disturbances, and numerous epidemiological studies have confirmed this correlation. But few studies have looked at the mechanisms of diet directly affecting sleep. This is the case with this recent publication where researchers from the University of Uppsala (Sweden) had each participant follow different diets. Each study session required several days of monitoring in a sleep lab. Fifteen healthy, normal-weight young men with good quality sleep participated in two sessions. In random order, they were submitted to a healthy diet and an unhealthy diet (containing a higher amount of sugars and saturated fats, and more processed foods). The researchers did not find any differences in the number of hours of sleep, nor any difference or alteration of the different stages of sleep (falling asleep, light, deep and REM sleep). On the other hand, concerning the quality of deep sleep of the participants, they found that this sleep, after a good “Big Mac” menu, showed less slow wave activity (a measurement which may reflect the restorative nature of deep sleep according to the researchers ). Deep sleep is therefore… less deep. And the researchers point out that this alteration only occurs and is usually observed with aging and in people suffering from insomnia.

Bibliographic references

Under no circumstances is the information and advice offered on the Alternative Santé site likely to replace a consultation or a diagnosis formulated by a doctor or a health professional, who are the only ones able to adequately assess your state of health.