February 5, 2022

"One study funded by... the world’s largest marketer of kiwi fruit... found that people assigned to eat two kiwis an hour before their bedtime... had improvements in their sleep onset, duration and efficiency...."

"Other studies funded by the cherry industry have found that drinking tart cherry juice can modestly improve sleep in people with insomnia.... In one randomized clinical trial... researchers discovered that eating more saturated fat and less fiber from foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains led to reductions in slow-wave sleep, which is the deep, restorative kind. In general, clinical trials have also found that carbohydrates have a significant impact on sleep: People tend to fall asleep much faster at night when they consume a high-carbohydrate diet compared to when they consume a high-fat or high-protein diet.... [But] when people eat more sugar and simple carbs — such as white bread, bagels, pastries and pasta — they wake up more frequently throughout the night...."

From "How Foods May Affect Our Sleep/A growing body of research suggests that the foods you eat can affect how well you sleep, and your sleep patterns can affect your dietary choices" (NYT).

There's a lot more in that article, but it mostly made me think that the advice is the usual advice about a healthy diet. There was no discussion of WHEN to eat, which I would think has a lot to do with food and sleep. I'd like to see a study where people ate the same foods but at different times of the day. Many people are experimenting with intermittent eating these days, but the standard choice is to skip breakfast and to eat lunch and dinner. When I do intermittent eating, what I skip is dinner. I think people are afraid of "going to bed on an empty stomach," but I'd like to see testing of the hypothesis that that's exactly what you want to do — that it will improve sleep.

ADDED: I thought this was a new article, because it was pushed at me as I was reading the Times today. I didn't notice that it's actually over a year old until I opened the comments, put them in the order of most-recommended, and read: "I suspect that after Trump leaves office, a good share of the surviving country will sleep better."

47 comments:

wendybar said...

And unfortunately for them, the Times was wrong again. Biden is screwing up America faster than anybody thought possible. If our enemies wanted to take down America, they would do exactly what Biden is doing. Iran is very happy with him today. I expect John Kerry is jubilant.

Achilles said...

There was no discussion of WHEN to eat, which I would think has a lot to do with food and sleep. I'd like to see a study where people ate the same foods but at different times of the day.

Go to youtube and search for Andrew Huberman.

The first 4 episodes of his podcast are on how to sleep better.

They are 90-120 minutes each and detail the latest research.

And yes the timing of when you eat is important. You shouldn't eat for about 2 hours before you go to sleep.

The first episode covers some basics of brain function as well as sleep. Episode 2 goes straight into sleep.

Heartless Aztec said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Heartless Aztec said...

.25mg of Xanax is a great sleeping inducement/aid as is a THC gummy square. A friend asked if I was worried about using prescription drugs to simply fall asleep and stay asleep. Having survived the 60's and 70's as test pilot for altered consciousness and exiting the other side with only a serious caffeine Jones all I could do was laugh. Might give the kiwis a test run but the real inducement is can they keep me from waking up to pee thrice a night.

Temujin said...

"and read: "I suspect that after Trump leaves office, a good share of the surviving country will sleep better."

That's pretty funny. My reply would be "How you sleeping now mother******?!"

My sleep advice: Eat dried prunes while standing on your head exactly 90 minutes before going to bed. It's like magic.

Wince said...

Althouse said...
I'd like to see a study where people ate the same foods but at different times of the day.

Sorry, they're busy. Priorities...

Congress Probes NIH for Spending $2.5 Million Injecting Puppies With Cocaine
'Coke hounds' were either killed or 'recycled' for other experiments, White Coat Waste Project said

Achilles said...

Most diet and health studies that are sponsored by the food industry are mostly crap as should be obvious by now.

Fruit was an occasional thing. We have never eaten it on a daily basis until a few decades ago. it provides some trace and micro nutrients.

Eating fruit regularly is not good for you.

Quaestor said...

I would test this hypothesis before going public: Eating Kiwi fruit night after night is extremely boring.

Tim said...

My wife and I have been on a keto diet since Jan 1st, combining it with intermittent fasting, only eating between 11 AM and 6 PM (the best way to keep carbs under control has proven to be eating only twice a day). In addition to the weight loss, I am noticing that I wake up less frequently at night. No idea of which change is responsible, but it is nice.

gilbar said...

let me see, if i've got this straight?
Numerous studies, that were funded by the makers of products;
have found that those products were helpful?
Is THAT it?

rrsafety said...

The health information in that article is about as accurate as anything Joe Rogan has said about COVID.

Ceciliahere said...

I’m sleeping about the same…before Trump, after Trump…not so good. But I bet Joe and Hunter are having some sleepless nights since the NYT has gotten into the act of looking into the Presidents? sons’s emails. They’re a little late, but let’s see how this all plays out. The real corrupt criminals are still in power in D.C.

Wilbur said...

Thanks for including the top-rated/recommended comment. I always find that to be interesting.

Gerda Sprinchorn said...

Nutritional research is garbage. There are zillions of these types of results about teeny tiny causes with even teensier tinier effects.

Just ignore them,they are garbage.

This is well-known in statistics. It is often called data-dredging or p-hacking. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_dredging.

It isn't even clear if they get many big-picture items right: they appear to have been mostly or completely wrong about big things like carbs, fat, salt, and meat, and even when there is something, the effects are surprisingly small.

Smoking is bad, but that's not a nutritional thing. Alcoholism is bad, but again, that isn't really a nutritional thing either. Scurvy and other vitamin deficiencies are bad, but that's not much of a concern nowadays. Obesity is bad, yup. Osteoporosis is bad, yup. Control your carbs if you're diabetic, but that's not really a nutrition thing either.

Freeman Hunt said...

I also prefer to skip dinner when I do intermittent fasting. I'd rather eat right before a walk, and I usually walk in the middle of the day.

Gerda Sprinchorn said...

Wilbur said:

Thanks for including the top-rated/recommended comment. I always find that to be interesting.

Agree.

A well-thought out comment or two or three is very helpful. It is kind of like court where you want to hear from someone who has thought this out from another viewpoint.

There is a deep truth here. You can't count on people to be honest and to present the other side of an issue. Powerful psychological and economic forces make this pretty much impossible. You therefore have to let the other side speak.

cf said...

haha, surely those who are sleeping better now are the most wicked among us.

Big Mike said...

A study paid for by the world’s largest marketeer of kiwi fruit finds sleep benefits from eating kiwis. Another study paid for by cherry industry discovered “that drinking tart cherry juice can modestly improve sleep in people with insomnia ” Almost like 21st century scientists look at who’s paying them before they find their “findings.”

It wasn’t always that way, but it does explain how Tony Fauci can dangle $8.9 million in grant money in front of virologists and have them publicly agree to something (namely, that the COVID-19 virus was not created in a lab) which the scientists were privately certain to be false.

Skeptical Voter said...

I dunno about sleeping and presidents. Back in the early days of the ascendancy of Our New "Light" Worker Obama I woke from a deep sleep and uttered a one word epithet. My wife is a light sleeper and said, "You were thinking about Obama, weren't you?"

When you've been married for quite a while, your wife knows what you are thinking. Score one for her on this occasion.

As for bumbling Biden, he doesn't bear thinking about.

Big Mike said...

@Heartless Aztec, well, you can try getting younger but that’s a bit hard to do. An alternative is to visit a urologist, get goosed, and see whether Alfuzosin can help.

gspencer said...

And further studies have shown that a Jack Daniels fruit smoothie followed by a Bacardi Limon Popsicle, both within 30 minutes of your nocturnal brushing of your teeth, make for a night's sleep that will send you to the floor.

Bob Boyd said...

I tried eating kiwi fruit before bed, but I didn't like it. I kept dreaming I couldn't fly.

Hamlet's Fool said...

You know who sleeps better at night since Biden has replaced Trump? The terrorist regime in Tehran. Just one of many.

I agree with Gerda Sprinchorn: most nutrition research is garbage and the conclusions drawn are even worse. It is almost impossible to ferret out the many variables involved (not only what one eats but when plus genetic and environmental factors) to come up with anything other than broad trends.

Having lived through multiple changes in advice (butter bad eat margarine, no wait . . . ) I have become skeptical. So, like most of us, I base my eating decisions on personal experience and what tastes good.

Don't get me started on the changes to the correct way to let your baby sleep in a crib . . .

wild chicken said...

I used to be able to sleep on an empty stomach but no longer. Damn it really kept the weight down too.

Wince said...

There's only one tried and true method.

Yancey Ward said...

I have found that eating just before I go to bed makes it harder for me to sleep well. I try to make sure I have eaten nothing at least 3 hours before bedtime. The kinds of food I eat in the evening don't seem to matter much.

However, I don't really have much issues with sleeping well- never have. I am guessing that my bad night's sleep would be most other peoples' definition of a good one.

Original Mike said...

Blogger Achilles said.."Eating fruit regularly is not good for you."

Because of carbs?

I have been on a low carb diet since Christmas. Right now I am spreadsheeting everything I eat (don't intend tracking forever; only until I learn what and how much to eat/not-eat.).

I am eating about 50 grams carbs/day. Major improvement in my blood glucose. Unfortunately, I am also losing some weight.

I am unwilling to go full keto. Sounds dangerous.

rcocean said...

I agree the timing seems more important. I've never had a "high carb" diet, so I can't speak to that. I do know that eating a big meal after 6 PM puts me out like a light. As a result we've pushed our dinner time back and back.

And there seems to be something natural about having the Big Meal of the day at Dusk or at Night. Although I've read that losing weight is easier, if you make Breakfast your big meal, make Lunch lighter, and then finish with a small snack before you go to bed.

Original Mike said...

Blogger Gerda Sprinchorn said..."Nutritional research is garbage. There are zillions of these types of results about teeny tiny causes with even teensier tinier effects."

Yeah, along with the data you need a reasonable hypothesized mechanism. Hard to believe kiwi makes you sleep better. Why would that be?

ALP said...

Skipping breakfast = indicates a full time, M-F, 9-5 job. You get out of the house faster. More time is available at the end of the day to make something of a meal and take your time.

Skipping dinner = retiree. Can have the major meal at any time as you are on your own schedule. In bed by 8 or earlier - lunch is the biggest meal.

I never understood the fear of an empty stomach while sleeping. The opposite would appear to be more problematic - a full stomach can bring on upsets (gas/acid) that prevent sleep. A quiet stomach would be better for sleep.

tommyesq said...

Never trust Big Kiwi, man...

dbp said...

""I suspect that after Trump leaves office, a good share of the surviving country will sleep better.""

The use of the word "surviving" is a nice reminder that the commenter is a well-adjusted and sane person.

dbp said...

When I do intermittent fasting, I have one meal of 400-600 calories at our normal dinner time of about 7:00 and sleep better than on a non-fasting day.

Joe Smith said...

So food lobbying group finds that their product is a wonder cure.

I will take this seriously and heed their advice.

Joe Smith said...

Two words: MyPillow.

Wait, is that one word?

James K said...

"People tend to fall asleep much faster at night when they consume a high-carbohydrate diet compared to when they consume a high-fat or high-protein diet.... [But] when people eat more sugar and simple carbs — such as white bread, bagels, pastries and pasta — they wake up more frequently throughout the night...."

That would be true of alcohol too. Very conducive to falling asleep for an hour or two, not so good after that.

Howard said...

Fruit is only bad for you if you believe it's bad for you. See the recent Andrew Huberman podcast with Dr. Alia Crum on the positive and negative impacts from mindsets.

BUMBLE BEE said...

I agree with Joe Smith on My Pillow. Works far better than our $100 down pillows. They're history. BTW word is that the American Olympic Bobsled team named their sled "Joe Biden" because he's taken America downhill faster than anyone before him

Achilles said...

Original Mike said...

Blogger Achilles said.."Eating fruit regularly is not good for you."

Because of carbs?

I have been on a low carb diet since Christmas. Right now I am spreadsheeting everything I eat (don't intend tracking forever; only until I learn what and how much to eat/not-eat.).

I am eating about 50 grams carbs/day. Major improvement in my blood glucose. Unfortunately, I am also losing some weight.

I am unwilling to go full keto. Sounds dangerous.


It is easier to link. There is a lot of background information.

DrEkburg What happens when you are in ketosis.

I am adding some carbs before/during my workouts. I am actually going to start experimenting with Calcium pyruvate also. My goal is complete metabolic flexibility.

But I will be in ketosis at least 23 hours a day for the most part.

Original Mike said...

Thanks, Achilles, I'll take a look.

And thanks for the erythritol, etc advice. Have made cookies, and muffins so far at significantly less carbs. My biggest problem is postprandial glucose spikes and baked goods are a major culprit. This made a major difference.

Ralph L said...

My sleeping patterns were ruined by shingles in 2014. I'd wake up after a couple of hours and be wide awake for hours. Soon after the second Pfizer jab last spring, I'd still wake up after 2 hours, but I'd be groggy so I would soon go back to sleep. The grogginess can last for hours sometimes.

Ralph L said...

My biggest problem is postprandial glucose spikes

I saw on a British show that pasta chilled and reheated the next day doesn't cause spikes like freshly cooked pasta does. The starches re-organize overnight.

JAORE said...

Good one, Mr. Boyd.

Freeman Hunt said...

I know someone who lost over one hundred pounds. Benches over four hundred. Eats a lot of protein. Eats a lot of fruit. Candy too.

Freeman Hunt said...

Kiwis and dates are evidence that God loves us.

Religious in America said...

An Irish Iowan
I'm old enough to remember when the sugar industry sponsored studies to show that sugar was a healthy alternative to fats - leading to 2 generations of widespread obesity and richer sugar producers...

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

"The health information in that article is about as accurate as anything Joe Rogan has said about COVID."

How to tell someone you've never listened to Joe Rogan without saying you've never listened to Joe Rogan.

Or, better yet - how to tell someone gets their information only from the mainstream media.