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Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2022) | Viewed by 79353

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Egeria Scoditti

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National Research Council, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Lecce Section, Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Nutrigenomics, Ecotekne Campus, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: nutrition; signaling pathways; chronic disease; genomics; cardiometabolic diseases; inflammation; oxidative stress; miRNAs
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Dr. Sergio Garbarino

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Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics and Maternal/Child Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Interests: neurophysiology of sleep; stress-sleep relationship; psychopathology; mental health; suicide
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

An integral part of homeostasis includes daily rhythms in physiology, behavior, and metabolism. The circadian timing system enables organisms to adapt their biological functions, such as eating/fasting, sleep/alertness, as well as immune function and endocrine signaling, to the cyclic nature of the environment on Earth, mostly the daylight cycle. Intimately intertwined with the circadian clock, sleep is a physiological function fundamental for survival that, far from being a passive condition, plays a crucial role in physical, mental, and emotional health. Alterations of sleep quality and quantity, especially sleep deprivation, caused by modern society’s lifestyle and behavior as well as by sleep disorders have been associated with deregulation of the neuro-immune-endocrine functions and with an increased risk for diseases including cardiovascular, metabolic (obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes), infectious, cognitive, neurodegenerative, and cancerous diseases. Similarly, chronic misalignment of an organism’s endogenous rhythms can lead to metabolic dysfunction and increases the risk for multiple diseases that involve circadian components including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart diseases, neurodegeneration, and cancer in their pathology.

Research is starting to demonstrate the complex interrelationship between nutrition, sleep, and the circadian system, where nutritional pattern, nutrient composition and metabolism, and food timing affect sleep pattern and/or circadian clock components and vice versa. For example, some foods and nutrients may impact the availability of substances that influence sleep, promoting or altering it. On the other hand, inadequate sleep and especially short sleep duration is associated with unhealthy nutrients intake and altered metabolism. Many metabolic rhythms and amplitude of clock gene expression rhythms in clocks outside of the master pacemaker exhibit progressive dampening with age, contributing to the increased risk of metabolic diseases in older adults. A reciprocal influence between nutrition and the circadian system has also been invoked: nutrients can act as drivers of circadian rhythms, and have the ability to target the circadian clock components and to modulate the circadian regulation and, eventually, misalignment of biological functions in specific tissues and across tissues.

Many gaps in knowledge still exist in the interplay of nutrition with sleep and the circadian system as they modulate human health, and more research is needed to expand the field and further understand the impact of nutrients and nutrition patterns on sleep and circadian clock system and vice versa, the underlying molecular pathways, the differential effect in physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions (based on chronotype and across our lifespan), as well as the influence of genetic or epigenetic variations. With this step forward in integrative physiology, novel opportunities are disclosed for developing tailored nutritional recommendations with beneficial effects on sleep and circadian rhythmicity so as to increase healthy lifespan and prevent or treat chronic diseases.

Dr. Egeria Scoditti
Dr. Sergio Garbarino
Guest Editors

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Keywords

nutrition; sleep; circadian system; chronic disease

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 188 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Nutrition, Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Health Implications: “Come Together”

by Egeria Scoditti and Sergio Garbarino

Nutrients 2022, 14(23), 5105; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235105 - 01 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3001

Abstract

Over the last few years, novel and important aspects of nutrition that are often overlooked in nutritional epidemiology, experimental research, and recommendations for health maintenance and disease prevention concerning the circadian rhythmicity of feeding, as well as the bidirectional interaction of nutrition with central and peripheral endogenous circadian clocks, and with other rhythmic behaviors including the sleep–wake cycle have received increasing attention from the research community [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

Research

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15 pages, 1566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Sleep Patterns during Pregnancy and Predictive Factors: A Longitudinal Study in Saudi Women

by Sara Al-Musharaf

Nutrients 2022, 14(13), 2633; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132633 - 25 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3204

Abstract

This study aimed to assess sleep patterns during the three trimesters of pregnancy and whether vitamin D concentrations, along with other risk factors, are associated with these alterations. In a longitudinal study, 140 pregnant women (age 18 to 39 years) were followed throughout their first, second, and third trimesters. Sleep was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at each trimester, along with an assessment of biochemical parameters, including serum vitamin D levels. The information that was collected included anthropometric data, socio-economic status, dietary intake, and physical activity. The PSQI was higher in mid and late pregnancy than in early pregnancy (both p = 0.001), and the sleep duration was also higher in late versus early pregnancy. Linear regression analyses revealed independent predictors of deteriorating sleep quality from early to late pregnancy, including low income (B ± SE −0.60 ± 0.26, p = 0.03) and low serum vitamin D levels in the second trimester (B ± SE −0.20 ± 0.01, p = 0.04). Energy intake and sitting in the second half of pregnancy were positively associated with changes in the PSQI score from the second to third trimesters (B ± SE 0.15 ± 0.07, p = 0.048) and (B ± SE 0.01 ± 0.00, p = 0.044), respectively. Low socio-economic status, low serum vitamin D levels, greater energy intake, and sitting time were associated with worsening patterns of sleep quality from early to late pregnancy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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18 pages, 1052 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Too Jittery to Sleep? Temporal Associations of Actigraphic Sleep and Caffeine in Adolescents

by Gina Marie Mathew, David A. Reichenberger, Lindsay Master, Orfeu M. Buxton, Anne-Marie Chang and Lauren Hale

Nutrients 2022, 14(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010031 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5343

Abstract

Caffeine consumption has been linked to poor sleep health in adolescents, but it is unknown whether poor sleep predicts caffeine consumption, and/or whether caffeine consumption predicts poor sleep, particularly when sleep is measured objectively. Data were collected from a micro-longitudinal sub-study of the age 15 wave of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 589). Adolescents wore an actigraphy device and completed daily surveys for ~1 week. Daily surveys assessed subjective sleep quality and caffeinated beverage consumption (0 = no caffeine, 1 = any caffeine). Separate mixed models assessed whether actigraphy-measured sleep duration, timing, maintenance efficiency, and subjective quality predicted next-day caffeinated beverage consumption within and between adolescents. Variability (standard deviation) of sleep duration and timing, sleep regularity index, and social jetlag were tested as additional between-person predictors. Lagged models tested whether daily caffeinated beverage consumption predicted sleep that night (n = 458). Adolescents with more variable sleep duration and midpoint had higher average odds of consuming caffeinated beverages compared to others. After adolescents consumed ≥1 caffeinated beverage, they had later sleep onset that night and wake time the next morning than usual versus when they did not consume caffeine. Curbing caffeinated beverage consumption may aid in the maintenance of regular sleep schedules and advance sleep timing in adolescents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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18 pages, 873 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Breakfast Consumption Suppresses Appetite but Does Not Increase Daily Energy Intake or Physical Activity Energy Expenditure When Compared with Breakfast Omission in Adolescent Girls Who Habitually Skip Breakfast: A 7-Day Randomised Crossover Trial

by Julia Kirstey Zakrzewski-Fruer, Claire Seall and Keith Tolfrey

Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4261; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124261 - 26 Nov 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3210

Abstract

With concerns that adolescent girls often skip breakfast, this study compared the effects of breakfast consumption versus breakfast omission on free-living physical activity (PA) energy expenditure (PAEE) and dietary intakes among adolescent girls classified as habitual breakfast skippers. The participants went through two 7-day conditions in a trial with a crossover design: daily standardised breakfast consumption (energy content: 25% of resting metabolic rate) before 09:00 (BC) and daily breakfast omission (no energy-providing nutrients consumed) until 10:30 (BO). Free-living PAEE, dietary intakes, and perceived appetite, tiredness, and energy levels were assessed. Analyses were linear mixed models. Breakfast manipulation did not affect PAEE or PA duration. Daily fibre intake was higher (p = 0.005; d = 1.31), daily protein intake tended to be higher (p = 0.092; d = 0.54), post-10:30 carbohydrate intake tended to be lower (p = 0.096; d = 0.41), and pre-10:30 hunger and fullness were lower and higher, respectively (p ≤ 0.065; d = 0.33–1.01), in BC versus BO. No other between-condition differences were found. Breakfast-skipping adolescent girls do not compensate for an imbalance in energy intake caused by breakfast consumption versus omission through subsequent changes in PAEE but may increase their carbohydrate intakes later in the day to partially compensate for breakfast omission. Furthermore, breakfast can make substantial contributions to daily fibre intake among adolescent girls. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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8 pages, 992 KiB

Open AccessArticle

No Significant Effect of the Individual Chronotype on the Result of Moderate Calorie Restriction for Obesity—A Pilot Study

by Zofia Strojny, Rafał Rutkowski, Alina Kanikowska, Agnieszka Zawada, Aldona Juchacz, Marian Grzymisławski, Maki Sato, Monika Litwinowicz, Katarzyna Korybalska, Andrzej Bręborowicz, Janusz Witowski and Dominika Kanikowska

Nutrients 2021, 13(11), 4089; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13114089 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2665

Abstract

Background: Chronotype is the pattern of the circadian rhythm that allows an individual to optimize times of sleep and activity. It has been observed that chronotypes may associate with some conditions and diseases, including obesity. It is not known, however, whether chronotypes determine the effectiveness of weight loss regimens. Therefore, in the present study, we compared the outcomes of a 3-week moderate calorie restriction undertaken by individuals with obesity under the same controlled hospital conditions. Methods: A total of 131 participants with obesity (median BMI 40.0) were studied. The subjects underwent the same dietary intervention over 3 weeks, with a 30% reduction in daily caloric intake. The individual chronotypes were assessed by the morning and evening questionnaire (MEQ) according to Horne and Östberg. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were assessed by routine methods. Results: Of all patients examined, 75% had the morning (lark) chronotype and 25% had the evening (owl) chronotype. These patient sub-groups did not differ in terms of demographic, anthropometric and biochemical characteristics at baseline. After 3 weeks of calorie restriction, both groups experienced a similar loss of weight and BMI (Body Mass Index) (3.4 ± 0.38% for larks vs. 4.1 ± 0.47% for owls, p = 0.45), with owls exhibiting a marginally greater loss of body fat (3.1 ± 0.79%) compared with larks (2.6 ± 0.64%), p = 0.02. On the other hand, the larks had a more discernable, but not statistically significant from owls, decrease in glycated haemoglobin and CRP (C Reactive Protein). Conclusions: The chronotype of individuals with obesity does not have a significant effect on the magnitude of the body weight loss, but there is a tendency observed towards the reduction in body fat content in owls through changing their meal and sleep timing to earlier hours, in response to moderate calorie restriction applied under the same controlled conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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14 pages, 1579 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eucaloric Balanced Diet Improved Objective Sleep in Adolescents with Obesity

by Oussama Saidi, Emmanuelle Rochette, Giovanna Del Sordo, Éric Doré, Étienne Merlin, Stéphane Walrand and Pascale Duché

Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3550; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103550 - 10 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2996

Abstract

Background: A better understanding of the influence of energy balance on sleep in adolescents, particularly those with obesity, could help develop strategies to optimize sleep in these populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate sleep under ad libitum-vs-controlled diets adjusted to energy requirement (eucaloric) among adolescents with obesity and their normal weight controls. Methods: Twenty-eight male adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years, n = 14 adolescents with obesity (OB: BMI ≥ 90th centile) and n = 14 normal weight age matched controls (NW), completed an experimental protocol comprising ad libitum or eucaloric meals for three days, in random order. During the third night of each condition, they underwent in home polysomnography (PSG). Results: An interaction effect of energy intake (EI) was detected (p < 0.001). EI was higher during ad libitum compared to the eucaloric condition (p < 0.001) and in OB compared to NW (p < 0.001) in the absence of any substantial modification to macronutrient proportions. Analyses of energy intake distribution throughout the day showed a significant interaction with both a condition and group effect during lunch and dinner. Sleep improvements were noted in OB group during the eucaloric condition compared to ad libitum with reduced sleep onset latency and N1 stage. Sleep improvements were correlated to reduced EI, especially during the evening meal. Conclusion: Simply adjusting dietary intake to energy requirement and reducing the energy proportion of the evening meal could have therapeutic effects on sleep in adolescents with obesity. However, positive energy balance alone cannot justify worsened sleep among adolescents with obesity compared to normal weight counterparts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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11 pages, 294 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Higher Intake of Energy at Dinner Is Associated with Incident Metabolic Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study in Older Adults

by Ygor Hermenegildo-López, Carolina Donat-Vargas, Helena Sandoval-Insausti, Belén Moreno-Franco, Monserrat Rodríguez-Ayala, Jimena Rey-García, José Ramón Banegas, Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo and Pilar Guallar-Castillón

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 3035; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13093035 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3272

Abstract

A higher energy intake (EI) at night has been associated with a higher risk of obesity, while a higher EI at lunch may protect against weight gain. This study examined the association between EI throughout the day and incident metabolic syndrome (MetS) among older adults. A cohort of 607 individuals aged ≥ 60 free from MetS at baseline was followed from 2008–2010 until 2015. At baseline, habitual EI was assessed on six eating occasions: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and snacking. MetS was defined according to the harmonized definition. Statistical analyses were performed with logistic regression and adjusted for the main confounders, including total EI, diet quality, and physical activity/sedentary behavior. During follow-up, 101 new MetS cases occurred. Compared to the lowest sex-specific quartile of EI at dinner, the OR (95% confidence interval) for incident MetS were: 1.71 (0.85–3.46) in the second, 1.70 (0.81–3.54) in the third, and 2.57 (1.14–5.79) in the fourth quartile (p-trend: 0.034). Elevated waist circumference and triglycerides were the MetS components that most contributed to this association. A higher EI at dinner was associated with a higher risk of MetS in older adults. Reducing EI at dinner might be a simple strategy to prevent MetS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

9 pages, 289 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Alessia Pacifico, Rosalynn R. Z. Conic, Antonio Cristaudo, Sergio Garbarino, Marco Ardigò, Aldo Morrone, Paolo Iacovelli, Sara di Gregorio, Paolo Daniele Maria Pigatto, Ayman Grada, Steven Richard Feldman, Egeria Scoditti, Khalaf Kridin and Giovanni Damiani

Nutrients 2021, 13(9), 2934; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13092934 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2684

Abstract

Vegans and vegetarians often consume foods containing photosensitizers capable of triggering phytophotodermatitis. The potential effect of vegan and vegetarian diets on the response of psoriatic patients undergoing phototherapy is not well characterized. We assessed clinical outcomes of vegan, vegetarian and omnivore adult psoriatic patients undergoing band ultraviolet B phototherapy (NB-UVB). In this multicenter prospective observational study, we enrolled 119 adult, psoriatic patients, of whom 40 were omnivores, 41 were vegetarians and 38 were vegans, with phototherapy indication. After determining the minimum erythemal dose (MED), we performed NB-UVB sessions for 8 weeks. The first irradiation dosage was 70.00% of the MED, then increased by 20.00% (no erythema) or by 10.00% (presence of erythema) until a maximum single dose of 3 J/cm² was reached and constantly maintained. All the enrolled patients completed the 8 weeks of therapy. Severe erythema was present in 16 (42.11%) vegans, 7 (17.07%) vegetarians and 4 (10.00%) omnivores (p < 0.01). MED was lowest among vegans (21.18 ± 4.85 J/m²), followed by vegetarians (28.90 ± 6.66 J/m²) and omnivores (33.63 ± 4.53 J/m², p < 0.01). Patients with severe erythema were more likely to have a high furocumarin intake (OR 5.67, 95% CI 3.74–8.61, p < 0.01). Vegans consumed the highest amount of furocumarin-rich foods. A model examining erythema, adjusted for gender, age, skin type, MED, phototherapy type, number of phototherapies and furocumarin intake, confirmed that vegans had a lower number of treatments. Vegans had more frequent severe erythema from NB-UVB, even after adjustment of the phototherapy protocol for their lower MED. Assessing diet information and adapting the protocol for vegan patients may be prudent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

17 pages, 308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of a Multi-Component m-Health Diet, Physical Activity, and Sleep Intervention on Dietary Intake in Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomised Controlled Trial

by Sasha Fenton, Tracy L. Burrows, Clare E. Collins, Anna T. Rayward, Beatrice Murawski and Mitch J. Duncan

Nutrients 2021, 13(7), 2468; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13072468 - 19 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4059

Abstract

This three-arm randomised controlled trial evaluated whether (1) a multi-component weight loss intervention targeting diet, physical activity (PA), and sleep was effective at improving dietary intake over six months and 12 months, compared with a control, and (2) the enhanced diet, PA, and sleep intervention was more effective at improving dietary intake than the traditional diet and PA intervention. A total of 116 adults (70% female, 44.5 years, BMI 31.7 kg/m²) were randomised to either traditional diet and PA intervention; enhanced diet, PA, and sleep intervention; or wait-list control. To examine between-group differences, intervention groups were pooled and compared with the control. Then, the two intervention groups were compared. At six months, the pooled intervention group consumed 1011 fewer kilojoules/day (95% CI −1922, −101), less sodium (−313.2 mg/day; 95% CI −591.3, −35.0), and higher %EI from fruit (+2.1%EI; 95% CI 0.1, 4.1) than the controls. There were no differences in intake between the enhanced and traditional groups at six months. At 12 months, the pooled intervention and control groups reported no significant differences. However, compared to the traditional group, the enhanced reported higher %EI from nutrient-dense foods (+7.4%EI; 95% CI 1.3, 13.5) and protein (+2.4%EI; 95% CI 0.1, 4.6), and reduced %EI from fried/takeaway foods (−3.6%EI; 95% CI −6.5, −0.7), baked sweet products (−2.0%EI; 95% CI −3.6, −0.4), and packaged snacks (−1.1%EI; 95% CI −2.2, −0.3). This weight loss intervention reduced total energy and sodium intakes as well as increased fruit intake in adults at six months. The enhanced intervention group reported improved dietary intake relative to the traditional group at 12 months. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

Review

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16 pages, 958 KiB

Open AccessReview

Do Sleep Disorders and Western Diet Influence Psoriasis? A Scoping Review

by Ilaria Controne, Egeria Scoditti, Alessandra Buja, Alessia Pacifico, Khalaf Kridin, Massimo Del Fabbro, Sergio Garbarino and Giovanni Damiani

Nutrients 2022, 14(20), 4324; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204324 - 16 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2812

Abstract

Western diet may trigger sleep disorders and vice versa, but their single and mutual effects on systemic inflammatory diseases (i.e., psoriasis) are far from being fully elucidated. At the same time, psoriatic patients display a great burden of sleep disorders and dysmetabolisms related to an unhealthy lifestyle (i.e., diet). These patients are also affected by a chronic disorder deeply modulated by environmental factors (i.e., sleep and diet) capable to influence drug-response and disease progression. Thus, we aimed to summarize the evidence in the literature that may highlight a potential link among psoriasis–diet–sleep in order to further promote a multidisciplinary approach to psoriatic patients in the scientific community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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16 pages, 711 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cyrcadian Rhythm, Mood, and Temporal Patterns of Eating Chocolate: A Scoping Review of Physiology, Findings, and Future Directions

by Sergio Garbarino, Emanuela Garbarino and Paola Lanteri

Nutrients 2022, 14(15), 3113; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14153113 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5005

Abstract

This paper discusses the effect of chrononutrition on the regulation of circadian rhythms; in particular, that of chocolate on the resynchronization of the human internal biological central and peripheral clocks with the main external synchronizers, light–dark cycle and nutrition-fasting cycle. The desynchronization of internal clocks with external synchronizers, which is so frequent in our modern society due to the tight rhythms imposed by work, social life, and technology, has a negative impact on our psycho-physical performance, well-being, and health. Taking small amounts of chocolate, in the morning at breakfast at the onset of the active phase, helps speed up resynchronization time. The high flavonoid contents in chocolate promote cardioprotection, metabolic regulation, neuroprotection, and neuromodulation with direct actions on brain function, neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and mood. Although the mechanisms of action of chocolate compounds on brain function and mood as well as on the regulation of circadian rhythms have yet to be fully understood, data from the literature currently available seem to agree in suggesting that chocolate intake, in compliance with chrononutrition, could be a strategy to reduce the negative effects of desynchronization. This strategy appears to be easily implemented in different age groups to improve work ability and daily life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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29 pages, 778 KiB

Open AccessReview

Mediterranean Diet on Sleep: A Health Alliance

by Egeria Scoditti, Maria Rosaria Tumolo and Sergio Garbarino

Nutrients 2022, 14(14), 2998; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142998 - 21 Jul 2022

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 12716

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based, antioxidant-rich, unsaturated fat dietary pattern that has been consistently associated with lower rates of noncommunicable diseases and total mortality, so that it is considered one of the healthiest dietary patterns. Clinical trials and mechanistic studies have demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet and its peculiar foods and nutrients exert beneficial effects against inflammation, oxidative stress, dysmetabolism, vascular dysfunction, adiposity, senescence, cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and tumorigenesis, thus preventing age-associated chronic diseases and improving wellbeing and health. Nocturnal sleep is an essential physiological function, whose alteration is associated with health outcomes and chronic diseases. Scientific evidence suggests that diet and sleep are related in a bidirectional relationship, and the understanding of this association is important given their role in disease prevention. In this review, we surveyed the literature concerning the current state of evidence from epidemiological studies on the impact of the Mediterranean diet on nighttime sleep quantity and quality. The available studies indicate that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with adequate sleep duration and with several indicators of better sleep quality. Potential mechanisms mediating the effect of the Mediterranean diet and its foods and nutrients on sleep are described, and gap-in-knowledge and new research agenda to corroborate findings are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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26 pages, 2718 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Sleep Quality: A Narrative Review on Nutrition, Stimulants, and Physical Activity as Important Factors

by Monika Sejbuk, Iwona Mirończuk-Chodakowska and Anna Maria Witkowska

Nutrients 2022, 14(9), 1912; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091912 - 02 May 2022

Cited by 50 | Viewed by 25741

Abstract

Sleep is a cyclically occurring, transient, and functional state that is controlled primarily by neurobiological processes. Sleep disorders and insomnia are increasingly being diagnosed at all ages. These are risk factors for depression, mental disorders, coronary heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and/or high blood pressure. A number of factors can negatively affect sleep quality, including the use of stimulants, stress, anxiety, and the use of electronic devices before sleep. A growing body of evidence suggests that nutrition, physical activity, and sleep hygiene can significantly affect the quality of sleep. The aim of this review was to discuss the factors that can affect sleep quality, such as nutrition, stimulants, and physical activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition at the Interface of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Health)

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