Potential sleep-disrupting foods: A look into possible culprits causing persistent sleeplessness.
Struggling with sleepless nights? You're not alone. From medications to stress, a host of factors can keep you wide awake. But what if the solution to your chronic insomnia doesn't require a prescription or come with side effects?
Researchers are unveiling a strong connection between chronic insomnia and a particular food category. If it makes up a massive part of your diet, getting the restful sleep you desperately need might just be a matter of making a few changes.
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The Surge of Falsified Food
Over the past decade, artificially fabricated food, often termed "fake food," has flooded the market. To make sense of it all, the United Nations devised the NOVA system of food classification.
The NOVA system classifies foods into four categories: unprocessed or minimal processing, culinary ingredients, processed, and ultra-processed foods.
Processed foods are essentially raw agricultural commodities that have been cleansed, milled, chopped, cooked, or packaged. By contrast, ultra-processed foods undergo such extensive processing that they hardly resemble real food anymore. Labels on these products often list an abundance of unrecognizable ingredients.
Things like chicken nuggets, frozen pizzas, microwaveable meals, and chips – even some cereals and packaged baked goods – fall into this category. These foods have been linked to a host of health problems, including dementia, depression and anxiety, hypertension, bowel disease, and a variety of cancers.
And now, it seems, they're even stealing our sleep...
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The Link Between Ultra-Processed Foods and Chronic Insomnia
Recently, a group of French and American researchers investigated the potential connection between chronic insomnia and ultra-processed food consumption.
“At a time when more and more foods are heavily processed and sleep disturbances are rampant, it is crucial to evaluate whether diet could contribute to poor or optimal sleep quality," says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a nutrition and sleep scientist at Columbia University.
St-Onge and her colleagues analyzed data from 38,570 adults as part of the NutriNet Health Study. While the researchers did not establish a causal relationship between ultra-processed foods and insomnia, they did find a statistically significant association between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased chronic insomnia risk.
It's essential to stress that this study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between ultra-processed foods and insomnia. However, other research points to a link between refined carbohydrates, particularly added sugars, and increased insomnia risk. Given that ultra-processed foods are teeming with refined carbs and sugars, it's a safe bet they play a role in sleep disturbances.
A Columbia University study revealed that postmenopausal women who ate the most refined carbohydrates were 16 percent more likely to develop insomnia than those who ate the least. Just to put that in perspective, if any food group contains a surplus of refined carbs and added sugars, it's the ultra-processed one.
On a positive note, the same study found that women who consumed more vegetables, fiber, and whole fruits (not juice) were about 14 percent less likely to suffer from insomnia [2].
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Overcoming Insomnia in a Snap
Looking for ways to say goodnight to those sleepless nights? Ditching the ultra-processed food may just be your ticket to a more restful slumber.
Kicking the ultra-processed food habit is no walk in the park, but taking it slow will help if you can't quit cold turkey. Start by eliminating the two foods a 30-year study found to be the absolute worst [8][9].
Then, start incorporating more of the good stuff. If gorging on fresh fruits and veggies seems tough to start with, opt for green powder mixes. They mix easily with water and often contain fruit and fiber too!
Avoid sleeping pills if possible. They come with a slew of nasty side effects and aren't guaranteed to work for everyone. That said, give a toddler's bedtime routine and these other sleep-inducing tactics a try!
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References:
[1] Chronic Insomnia Linked to Ultra-Processed Foods, Study Finds - Science Alert[2] The association between ultra-processed food consumption and chronic insomnia in the NutriNet-Santé Study - Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics[3] One in four Americans develop insomnia each year: 75 percent of those with insomnia recover - Science Daily[4] Mediterranean diet pattern and sleep duration and insomnia symptoms in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis - Sleep
In the search for undisturbed sleep, one might consider reexamining their diet, particularly the consumption of ultra-processed foods. A study revealed a strong association between higher ultra-processed food consumption and a increased risk of chronic insomnia. To promote better sleep, consider replacing ultra-processed foods with nutrient-rich options such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
