Sleep: Does Nutrition Make a Difference?

To answer this question, I’m going to mix a little personal experience with a little research-based information into this blog post.

I have always heard women talk about not being able to sleep once hitting the menopausal stages of life.  Based my experience with my diabetes education patients, I believe this occurs in men in the late 60’s-70’s.  Until about age 45, I slept like a rock at night, and then I started having restless nights that escalated to nights with little to no sleep.  So, I decided to research sleep and factors, especially nutrition-related factors, that affect sleep quality and quantity.  I want to share some of the factors (some known to me and some new to me) with all of you in the event this information can help anyone reading this post.

Nutrition factors to consider to improve sleep quality and quantity:

·         Caffeine decreases sleep quality and quantity.  The recommendation:  Eliminate caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

·         Although alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, it disrupts sleep later in the night.  The recommendation:  Moderate alcohol consumption and avoid it later in the evening.

·         Dining late in the evening results in digestion during sleep that can be detrimental to quantity and quality of sleep.  The recommendation:  Eat in early evening and if having to eat late, eat on the lighter side.

·         Here’s the BIG one that I was not aware of…a deficiency in some micronutrients can negatively affect sleep quality and quantity.  According to analysis of the NHANES 2005-2016, these micronutrients include calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and vitamins A, D, and E.  Learning about these made a significant change for me this past summer.  I was getting little sleep on a regular basis and decided to do some research.  When I learned a deficiency of Ca could be a cause of poor sleep, I hoped that the fact I hadn’t been taking my Ca supplement for approximately 2 weeks (due to running out of it and not having the opportunity to drive the 90 miles to the store where I purchase it) was a factor in my lack of sleep.  There are a TON of factors unrelated to nutrition that affect sleep, so, unfortunately, my sleep quality and quantity hasn’t returned to “rock” status, but to my delight, upon reinitiating my Ca supplement, my sleepless nights decreased.

This man (my dad) can sleep anywhere!

So, nutrition CAN make a difference in sleep quality and quality.  If someone reading this post is suffering from poor quality or quantity of sleep, I hope taking a look at these nutrition-related factors can positively affect your sleep quality and quantity as it did mine.

Yawn…I’m getting sleepy!