People On Plant-Based Diets Sleep Up to 48 More Minutes Per Night

From sleepfoundation.org

At a Glance:

Vegetarians and vegans sleep 36 minutes more per night than average, with up to 90% reporting good or excellent sleep quality. Those following a raw food diet get even better sleep — 48 more minutes per night of sleep and 97% with above-average sleep quality.

Folks who follow no particular diet sleep 12 minutes less per night than average, and only 36% rate their sleep quality above average.

When it comes to snacking, those who choose yogurt sleep better, and those who like sweet treats such as brownies or cookies don’t do so badly — but popcorn snackers routinely get some of the worst sleep.

Those who often eat foods good for sleep, such as fatty fish, tart cherries, and kiwi, sleep up to 42 minutes more per night than average.

Insomnia is the top sleep issue reported among survey respondents (41%), affecting almost half of intermittent fasters (48%) and those following gluten-free (47%) and diabetic (47%) diets.

For those struggling to get a solid night’s sleep, what’s on your plate could be the culprit. As they say, “You are what you eat,” and the same goes for your sleep. It’s simple, really: If you eat poorly, your slumber is liable to suffer, too. And vice versa.

Dr. Abhinav Singh, medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center in Greenwood, Indiana, SleepFoundation.org medical-review expert, and author of Sleep to Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Sleep, describes it as “a vicious cycle.”

“Good sleep begets more good sleep, and poor sleep begets more poor sleep. And poor sleep leads to poor food choices. That’s why they’re called comfort foods. Because nobody who’s tired and sleep-deprived is going to reach for a salad,” he says.

But… maybe they should? According to a recent SleepFoundation.org survey, vegetarians and vegans sleep 36 minutes more per night than average, with up to 90% of them having above-average sleep quality. Better yet, those following a raw food diet get even more sleep — 48 additional minutes per night of sleep than average, and 97% describe their quality of sleep as above average. By comparison, those who follow no particular nutritional regimen sleep 12 minutes less than average, with only 36% rating their sleep quality as above average.

Katie Hammill, certified nutritional practitioner in Jacksonville, Florida, says that our nutrition and diet correlate “without a doubt” to the quality and quantity of our sleep: “What we eat and when we eat it can drastically impact both how we fall asleep and the quality and duration of our sleep cycles.”

The Food Factor

So, what should (or shouldn’t) we eat to get some quality shut-eye? Overall, folks who aim for healthier snacks tend to sleep better than average. Yogurt snackers get some of the best sleep, averaging 18 more minutes per night than average, and 61% of those experience above-average sleep quality. According to Hammill, these results are not surprising.

“Studies show that there are beneficial gut bacteria that help synthesize vitamins and neurotransmitters needed for sleep like GABA, so eating a gut-loving diet with fermented and prebiotic/probiotic foods like unsweetened yogurt is helpful,” she says.

But those with a sweet tooth who aim for snacks such as cookies, cake, or brownies don’t fare so badly — those surveyed sleep 12 minutes more than average. Nevertheless, Hammill and Dr. Singh agree that processed foods and sugary treats should still be infrequent, especially before bed, to minimize that blood sugar roller coaster.

“Eating processed foods or reaching for that ice cream tub at 10 p.m. can spike your blood sugar, which activates your kidneys,” Dr. Singh explains. “Then your sleep quality is poor because there are these micro awakenings and even bathroom breaks at night, which can then start to fuel some insomnia habits.”

Hammill suggests aiming for foods rich in protein, fibre, magnesium, and potassium for improved sleep quality. “Ideally, we should try to cut off eating two or three hours before sleep. This allows our body to digest and our blood sugar to stabilize for better sleep. If you find you are hungry before bed, and it is impacting your ability to fall asleep, then a small spoonful of nut butter or half a banana could help.”

Certain foods can help promote good sleep, and the more often we eat them, the better we may sleep. Survey respondents who eat fatty fish 4-6 times per week average 42 more minutes of sleep a night. And those who eat fruits such as tart cherries and kiwi as often sleep 30 more minutes and 24 more minutes per night, respectively.

Just whatever you do, don’t grab the Orville Redenbacher — popcorn snackers in our survey sleep 12 minutes less per night than average and only 35% describe their sleep quality as good or excellent. 

When Dreams Aren’t So Sweet

Meredith Conklin, a 44-year-old court operations manager in Kansas City, Missouri, has long struggled with insomnia. But it wasn’t until getting sober that she truly realized the role that diet played in her (lack of) sleep quality and quantity.

“It would’ve been impossible to look at nutrition as a potential culprit in my sleep problems had I not eliminated alcohol and drugs from my life,” she shares. “That’s when it got easier to identify a direct correlation between my problems with sleep, and the type of food I consumed the previous day.”

Conklin notes that foods with high sugar content and large portions and “heavy” foods consumed less than two hours before bed would exacerbate her night-time awakenings.

“This was confusing at times because as an emotional eater, foods that are high in volume, carbs, and sugar would often provide a numbing effect that I sought as a relaxation technique,” she shares. “However, the outcome would consistently be lack of sleep.” 

Insomnia is the top sleep issue for our survey respondents, with 41% reporting they regularly have trouble falling or staying asleep. Almost half of the intermittent fasters (48%) and those following a diabetic diet (47%) or gluten-free diet (47%) experience insomnia on a regular basis. 

Studies show that getting less sleep can increase daily caloric intake, and over time, this can start to add up.

“People who sleep less can overeat by 200 or 300 calories the next day. You multiply that by six months or a year every day, and that can lead to being overweight, which can precipitate some sleep disorders,” Dr. Singh says. “Weight gain can be a risk factor for snoring and sleep apnoea.”

Hammill echoes this sentiment, stressing that our bodies need energy, which can be obtained through sleep or food: “If we deprive it of one, we will crave the other. I recommend to my clients who have the occasional poor night of sleep or jet lag to start their day with a hearty protein-rich breakfast like a veggie omelette to help minimize those cravings. Maintaining a healthy diet and body weight can go a long way to help alleviate some of these sleep challenges.”

“People who sleep less can overeat by 200 or 300 calories the next day. You multiply that by six months or a year every day, and that can lead to being overweight, which can precipitate some sleep disorders.” - Abhinav Singh, MD, MPH, FAASM  Sleep Medicine Physician, MD

Recent research also highlights the link between what we eat and sleep disorders. For instance, a new study found that people on plant-based diets have a 17% lower risk of developing sleep apnoea than those who eat mainly animal-based foods. And people who eat healthy plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts had a lower risk of sleep apnoea than people who ate unhealthy plant-based foods, including refined grains, sweets, and salty foods like chips.

By changing her diet, Conklin seems to have broken the insomnia cycle. She knows what foods result in better sleep for her, and on days she treats herself, she knows her sleep might suffer.

“In the months of January and February this year, I made a nearly complete change to plant-based protein and avoided most egg and dairy products, as well,” she says. “This demonstrated a notable improvement in sleep, fitness, mood — basically all facets of my well-being. It was rather stunning, to be honest.”

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/people-on-plant-based-diets-sleep-up-to-48-more-minutes-per-night

How scientists changed their view of insomnia

From theconversation.com

Insomnia may have been torturing humanity since ancient times, but over the last 20 years scientists have made progress in their understanding of chronic sleep deprivation.

Today, sleep deprivation is one of the most widespread reported psychological problems in Britain, with about a third of the adult population in England reporting frequent insomnia symptoms.

Insomnia rarely occurs on its own, which brings us to one of the biggest changes scientists have made in our understanding of chronic sleep deprivation. The vast majority of people with insomnia often have other mental and physical health conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, thyroid disease, gastrointestinal problems, anxiety or depression.

In its diagnostic history, insomnia coupled with another illness or disorder was called secondary insomnia. That meant that insomnia was considered a consequence of those other underlying conditions. As such, until fairly recently doctors did not generally attempt to treat secondary insomnia.

But in the early 2000s, both research and clinical practice evidence started to indicate that this approach was wrong. Scientists argued that insomnia could precede or long survive a primary condition. Abandoning this distinction between primary and secondary insomnia was a major advance in acknowledging that insomnia frequently was an independent disorder, requiring its own treatment.

What’s more, researchers have been accumulating strong evidence that helping people with their sleeping problems could actually lead to improvements in their other health conditions. Chronic pain, chronic heart failure, depression, psychosis, alcohol dependency, bipolar disorder, PTSD, can all improve for patients if they address their sleeping problems.

Who gets insomnia?

Over the past two decades, we have acquired more rigorous and international data illustrating how ubiquitous insomnia is. Insomnia affects almost everyone, though women, older people, and people of lower socio-economic status are more vulnerable to it.

These groups experience a combination of biological, psychological and social risk factors that expose them to long-term sleep-disruption. For example, women often experience acute hormone fluctuations, pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, menopause, domestic violence, caregiving roles, higher prevalence of depression and anxiety – all of which can lead to more opportunities for prolonged sleep disruption.

Some current issues in insomnia research include the need to understand different types of insomnia symptoms, and their relationship to health and performance risks. For example, there is evidence that difficulty initiating sleep (as opposed to difficulty staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning) is associated with an increased risk of depression. Similarly, scientists still have questions on changes in things like brain activity, heart rate, or stress hormones that accompany insomnia. In common with all other mental health disorders, we are still yet to find biomarkers of insomnia.

However, research has helped us understand some things people can do to prevent insonmia episodes progressing to chronic insomnia, which is harder to treat. When insomnia symptoms happen more nights than not, and last for more than three months, then a diagnosis of insomnia disorder, or chronic insomnia, can be made.

                                                                           Insomnia keeping you up? Lizavetta/Shutterstock

One of the most common and harmful habits that develop during periods of insomnia is lying in bed, trying to sleep. Scientists have learned that lying in bed awake leads to perpetual cognitive arousal and, in time, it teaches your brain to stop connecting bed and being asleep.

Thus, if you cannot sleep at night, get up and do something else absorbing, but calming – read, write a list for the following day, listen to calming music or do some breathing exercises. When you feel sleepy again, get back to bed. If you are tired the following day, a well-placed short nap is fine, in the afternoon, for a maximum of 20 minutes. However, one must be careful with daytime sleeping, as it may reduce sleepiness at nighttime, and going to sleep may become even more difficult.

For those who do struggle with insomnia, there are effective treatments recommended. The story of the profound changes from secondary insomnia to insomnia disorder speaks of the power of clinical diagnosis in providing a pathway to treatment.

Cognitive behavioural treatment for insomnia (CBTI) is a package of techniques designed to maximise sleepiness at bedtime. It involves structured steps which aim to modify behaviour and mental activity. There are some predictors of treatment success: shorter duration of insomnia symptoms (years, rather than decades), less depression or pain and more positive expectations towards CBTI. But CBTI is broadly effective across all groups of people with insomnia.

Even so, only a tiny proportion of people reporting insomnia symptoms seek medical help. People may consider insomnia symptoms trivial or manageable, or they may be unaware of the options. It may also be due to the unavailability of treatment options. CBTI remains largely unavailable in clinical practice, mainly due to doctors’ unfamiliarity with the treatment programme, and limited funding.

This pushes patients towards sleeping tablets, which are not an acceptable long-term solution. Sleeping tablets are associated with significant cognitive and motor impairment, increased risk of falls, dependence, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, daytime lethargy, dizziness and headaches.

The main truly “new” class of sleeping pills are the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), which have shown a safety profile in many ways better than the traditional sedatives, especially around dependence concerns. But DORAs are not risk free or “mild” pills. They are relatively new to the market, first approved in the UK in 2022. So we lack long-term data to assess their safety for long-term use in people with insomnia.

A decent alternative is online self-delivered CBTI, on platforms such as Sleepful, which are free to access.

We have made great strides in sleep medicine over the past 20 years for people with insomnia, we just need to realise the potential of such profound changes by providing the right help for those suffering with it.

https://theconversation.com/how-scientists-changed-their-view-of-insomnia-279585 

Millions Take This Popular Supplement – Scientists Discover a Concerning Link to Heart Failure

From scitechdaily.com

A common sleep supplement may carry unexpected risks when used long-term.

Melatonin has long been marketed as a gentle, “natural” way to improve sleep. But new research is raising questions about what happens when people rely on it for years.

A large international analysis of more than 130,000 adults with chronic insomnia found that those who used melatonin for over a year faced significantly higher risks of serious health problems.

Compared to non-users, long-term users had about an 89–90% greater risk of developing heart failure over five years (4.6% vs. 2.7%). They were also nearly 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure (19.0% vs. 6.6%) and almost twice as likely to die from any cause (7.8% vs. 4.3%).

Early Findings Raise Safety Questions

The findings, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans, are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed. They do not prove that melatonin causes harm, but they highlight a potential safety gap that researchers say needs urgent attention.

“Melatonin supplements may not be as harmless as commonly assumed. If our study is confirmed, this could affect how doctors counsel patients about sleep aids,” said lead researcher Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, M.D., of SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, New York.

What Melatonin Does in the Body

Melatonin itself is a hormone produced by the brain that helps regulate the body’s internal clock. Levels naturally rise in the evening and fall with daylight, signalling when it is time to sleep and wake. Supplements mimic this process and can help some people fall asleep faster, especially in cases of jet lag or short-term insomnia.

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain that helps regulate the body’s sleep–wake cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm. Its levels typically rise in the evening as it gets dark, signaling to the body that it’s time to sleep, and fall again in the morning. Melatonin supplements, often sold as pills or gummies, are commonly used as a sleep aid. Credit: Stock

In the United States and many other countries, melatonin is sold over the counter without strict regulation. That means people can take it without medical supervision, and products may vary in dose and purity. It has become one of the most widely used sleep aids in the country, now ranking among the most popular natural products taken by adults.

Most experts agree that melatonin is generally safe for short-term use, typically up to one or two months. Beyond that, the science becomes much less clear. Despite its popularity, there are surprisingly few long-term studies examining its effects on the heart or other systems.

Researchers used the TriNetX Global Research Network to review five years of electronic health records from adults with chronic insomnia. They compared those with documented melatonin use for at least 12 months to similar patients who had no record of using the supplement. People with prior heart failure or other sleep medication use were excluded.

Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, often leading to fatigue, breathlessness, and fluid build-up. New research points to unexpected patterns linked to its development. Credit: Shutterstock

Consistent Signals Across Different Analyses

A separate analysis focusing on prescription records, particularly relevant in countries like the United Kingdom where melatonin requires a prescription, showed similar results. Patients with at least two prescriptions filled 90 days apart had an 82% higher risk of heart failure.

Heart failure itself is a serious condition affecting about 6.7 million adults in the United States. It occurs when the heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to meet the body’s needs, often leading to fatigue, shortness of breath, and fluid build-up.

While the results may sound alarming, researchers stress that the study shows only an association, not cause and effect. People who take melatonin long-term may differ in important ways from those who do not. For example, more severe insomnia, depression, anxiety, or the use of other medications could contribute to both melatonin use and increased heart risk.

There are also key limitations. The study relied on medical records rather than direct reports from patients, which means some people who used over-the-counter melatonin may have been misclassified as non-users. This is especially likely in countries like the United States, where supplements can be purchased without a prescription.

Expert Reactions and Ongoing Debate

Even so, some experts say the findings should not be ignored.

“These findings challenge the perception of melatonin as a benign chronic therapy and only highlight the need for a prospective trial with a control group to clarify its safety profile,” said Carlos Egea, President of the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies, who was not involved in the research.

Other specialists also question the widespread long-term use of melatonin. “I’m surprised that physicians would prescribe melatonin for insomnia and have patients use it for more than 365 days, since melatonin, at least in the U.S., is not indicated for the treatment of insomnia,” said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D., of Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Short-term use is still considered low risk for most adults who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. But even then, melatonin is not completely harmless. Reports of accidental overdoses in children and inconsistent dosing across products have raised concerns about how freely the supplement is used.

Meeting: “Effect of Long-term Melatonin Supplementation on Incidence of Heart Failure in Patients with Insomnia,” 10 November 2025, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025.

https://scitechdaily.com/millions-take-this-popular-supplement-scientists-discover-a-concerning-link-to-heart-failure/ 

Exhausted after 8 hours? 3 red flags you're headed for insomnia, according to experts

From tomsguide.com

By Ruth Jones 

The subtle daytime signs that could signal serious sleep deprivation

Struggling to stay awake at your desk, snapping at a friend and drifting off at the dinner table? It might not be your finest hour but many of us are familiar with these behaviours. You'd probably chalk it up to a bad day.

However, researchers from the University of Maryland have identified thinking, fatigue and mood as red flags for insomnia, noting that monitoring these actions in your day-to-day can help you spot sleep problems you might otherwise overlook.

"When [these behaviours] appear together, they suggest sleep is not restorative, even if you believe you're 'getting enough hours,'" explains Dr. Saema Tahir, an adult and paediatric sleep specialist.

We spoke to her about how to identify insomnia red flags — and what they signal about your sleep.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Thinking, fatigue and mood were identified as 'residual' symptoms of insomnia to be monitored in the treatment of sleep disorders
• Daytime fatigue describes persistent low energy, often caused by a lack of restorative sleep
• Mood swings make you irritable and can result from missing out on REM sleep
• Micro-sleeps are brief dozes that signal your brain is actively struggling to stay awake
• Focusing on improved sleep hygiene, such as a wind-down routine and bed time, can help improve your overall sleep health

How understanding daytime behaviours help you recognize insomnia

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In a recent study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, researchers highlighted that treating insomnia can't simply focus on sleep. It's important to understand and address the daytime impact of a bad night's rest as well.

Researchers identified 'thinking, fatigue, and mood' as 'residual symptoms' of sleep deprivation which should be monitored by healthcare professionals to ensure more effective treatment for insomnia.

"These symptoms are often more informative than total sleep hours," says Dr. Saema Tahir, a pulmonary disease specialist. She explains that if you're clocking up enough hours in bed but still don't feel properly rested, your daytime behaviours can help you understand what's going on.

"Fatigue [equals] sleep quantity or quality issue," she says. "Mood swings [equals] neurocognitive / emotional sleep disruption. Micro-sleeps [equals] severe physiological sleep deprivation or disorder."

3 daytime red flags for bad sleep

Even the best sleep trackers can't always paint an accurate picture of what's happening during the night. However, monitoring how you're functioning during the day helps you investigate and recognize the lived impact of your sleep.

Here are three signs your sleep is suffering (and you might not even know it yet)...

Red flag 1: You have no energy

You know those days when everything feels like a slog? You crawl out of bed and can't even find the energy to scroll through Instagram.

"Daytime fatigue is more than just feeling 'tired,'" explains Dr. Tahir. "Clinically, it refers to persistent low energy, reduced alertness, and difficulty sustaining mental or physical effort during the day despite adequate opportunity for sleep."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

So what's causing it? Dr. Tahir notes that daytime fatigue is often a signal that you're missing out on "restorative sleep" — that might mean frequent wake-ups, sleep disorders or "circadian misalignment" (when your time in bed doesn't match when your body expects to sleep.)

"A key clue is disproportion," says Dr. Tahir. "If someone is sleeping an 'adequate' number of hours but still feels drained, we worry about sleep quality rather than quantity."

Red flag 2: Your emotions are a rollercoaster

It's not just you; everyone around you really is more annoying after a bad night's sleep.

"Mood instability, meaning irritability, emotional reactivity, or low frustration tolerance, can be a subtle but powerful marker of sleep disruption," explains Dr. Tahir.

Patients often say, 'I sleep fine,' but report they are snappy, overwhelmed and emotionally labile

Dr. Tahir

And it doesn't have to be a night spent staring at the ceiling that has you snapping at a co-worker for tapping on the keyboard a little too loud.

"Evidence shows even partial sleep restriction impacts emotional regulation circuits in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala reactivity (our emotional response centre of the brain)," says Dr. Tahir.

She notes that patients often say "I sleep fine" but describe being snappy, overwhelmed and "emotionally labile" — "that mismatch is a red flag for impaired sleep architecture or insufficient deep/REM sleep."

Red flag 3: You can't keep your eyes open

You're halfway through an email when it occurs to you you don't know how long you've spent on one sentence. In fact, you can't remember the last few seconds at all. What you've experienced might be a microsleep.

"Microsleeps are brief, involuntary episodes of sleep lasting seconds," describes Dr. Tahir. "They often present as: 'zoning out' while driving or reading, dropping attention mid-task or head nodding or blank spells."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sometime a microsleep is so fast, you might not even notice its happened. But it shouldn't be ignored, as Dr. Tahir explains it's a sign your brain is "actively failing to maintain wakefulness."

"Clinically, microsleeps are a significant safety warning, most commonly associated with sleep deprivation or untreated sleep disorders (OSA, behaviour disorders of sleep, insomnia, hypersomnia, movement disorders of sleep)," she says.

What to do if you notice these red flags

These 'red flags' are often an indication that your sleep is suffering, even if you're happy with the amount of hours you spend in bed.

You don’t measure sleep health by time in bed, you measure it by daytime function

Dr. Tahir

"A key principle in sleep medicine is that you don’t measure sleep health by time in bed, you measure it by daytime function," explains Dr. Tahir.

"So someone can sleep 7–8 hours and still have clinically significant sleep dysfunction."

When these red flags start to impact your daily function, it's time to take a look at your sleep hygiene. Building good habits can improve your overall sleep quality, ensuring you're enjoying truly restorative rest. We've spoken to experts about improving sleep quality, and their top tips include:

• Set a bedtime and stick to it
• Develop a calming (and accessible) wind-down routine
• Start your morning with sunlight
• Dim the lights in the evening
• Keep your bed for sleep only — no binge watching

However, when lack of sleep is having a notable impact on your day, we advise speaking to a healthcare professional, who can help you identify the cause and work on viable solutions.

https://www.tomsguide.com/wellness/sleep/3-red-flags-that-youre-headed-for-insomnia-from-mood-swings-to-micro-sleeps