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Association between diet and sleep quality: A systematic review
Justyna Godos1, Giuseppe Grosso2, Sabrina Castellano3
1Oasi Research Institute - IRCCS, Troina, Italy.
Sleep Medicine Reviews
|February 7, 2021
Summary
Eating healthy foods is linked to better sleep quality, while processed foods and sugars are associated with poorer sleep. More research is needed to confirm this diet-sleep connection.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Sleep Medicine
- Behavioral Health
Background:
- Dietary habits are a significant behavioral risk factor impacting human health.
- Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between dietary intake and sleep quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and synthesize existing research on the association between diet and sleep quality.
- To evaluate the quality of evidence linking dietary patterns and specific foods to sleep parameters.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed across major databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane) up to November 2019.
- Included studies assessed diet quality (patterns, foods) and sleep quality (subjective/objective measures).
- Study quality was assessed using NIH Quality Assessment Tools.
Main Results:
- Twenty-nine studies were reviewed, indicating a positive association between healthy food consumption and better sleep quality.
- Conversely, higher intake of processed foods and free sugars correlated with diminished sleep quality and features.
- A consistent trend was observed across studies, though many were cross-sectional.
Conclusions:
- Dietary factors appear to be associated with sleep quality, with healthier diets linked to better sleep.
- The current evidence, primarily from observational studies, is of poor-to-fair quality and does not establish causality.
- Further high-quality research, particularly longitudinal studies, is required to confirm these diet-sleep associations.
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