Fruits and veggies might be the key to having a better night’s sleep. A new study from UChicago Medicine and Columbia University has found that increasing your intake to the CDC’s recommended five cups per day may improve sleep that same night. Those who reached the benchmark enjoyed a 16% improvement in sleep quality compared to those who strayed away from produce. They also experience deeper, less interrupted sleep. Keep reading to learn more about why fruits and veggies should be a staple in your diet on the way to better sleep.
Proven in a Study
Co-senior author and director of the UChicago Sleep Center, Estra Tasali, M.D., claimed, “Dietary modifications could be a new, natural, and cost-effective approach to achieve better sleep.” The study used objectively measured sleep outcomes, comparing daytime diet versus that night’s sleep. It may be another step to filling in the gaps in public-health knowledge about diet and sleep.
This study falls into a growing body of evidence that links what we eat during the day with how we rest at night. Many have found the benefit of changing their diet during the day to translate into better sleep, including adding fruits and veggies for deeper rest. Researchers also found that higher intakes of red and processed meat during the day could negatively impact your sleep. This applies to bigger groups of foods, not just individual options.
Adding Fruits and Veggies Slowly
For busy families and sleep-deprived parents who just need a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep, this might be a great low-cost strategy to add to your life. For instance, easy swaps can include changing one meat meal a week to a plant-based option, adding a fruit or vegetable to every meal, or “disguising” these essential foods in sauces, stews, or other ways to allow picky eaters to enjoy the same sleep benefits without the fuss.
The CDC recommendation of five cups of fruits and veggies per day may be a lot to switch over to at first. Clinicians, instead, urge modest and sustainable shifts are the better path to getting the diet to stick long-term. Adding in fruits and veggies alongside your normal diet gradually, instead of a radical shift, can keep you and your family happy. This might look like adding one extra fruit or vegetable to each meal. You can add a cup of berries to breakfast, carrot sticks to lunch, and an extra vegetable to your dinner.
Final Thoughts
While the study is promising in finding better sleep through diet and fruits and vegetables, it is not the only determining factor when it comes to good sleep. Other factors to consider are sleep hygiene, screen time, stress, and medical conditions. Finding the perfect balance of all these factors is the best way to improve your sleep and be ready for the next day.