Sleep. Most of us need more of it. While the amount of sleep we need varies from person to person, aiming for between seven to nine hours a night is a good place to start. For many people, the issue is getting to bed on time, with factors such as late-night doomscrolling and revenge bedtime procrastination standing in the way of a good night’s kip. For others, the issue has nothing to do with getting to bed; instead, it’s waking up way too early.

There’s nothing wrong with waking up 10-15 minutes before your alarm is due to go off – especially if you feel well-rested – but some people lose hours of sleep to these early morning wakeups. So, why do some people manage to sleep for so much longer than others?

As you might expect, there are several factors at play. But according to a new study in the journal Frontiers Of Nutrition, there could be a link between diet quality and sleep duration – specifically how many fruits and vegetables a person consumes on average.  

The study, from researchers at Finland’s University of Helsinki, National Institute for Health and Welfare and Turku University of Applied Sciences, was based on the sleep and nutrition habits of over 5,000 Finnish adults. They found that people who ate around 460g of fruit and vegetables a day were more likely to get an ‘ideal’ amount of rest – ie not too much, but also not too little – compared to those who ate a lower amount.

On average, they found that ‘short sleepers’ – those who slept an average of six hours a night – ate 37 fewer grams of fruit and vegetables a day compared to normal sleepers (which, by the way, still meets the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily intake), while long sleepers – who slept for an average 10.1 hours a night – consumed an average of 73.4 fewer grams.

In particular, the researchers noticed “significant differences” in specific foods the groups ate. For example, both the short- and long-sleepers tended to eat fewer green leafy vegetables, root vegetables and salad products such as tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Getting too much sleep and not enough sleep can both lead to health issues, so the revelation that fruit and vegetable consumption seems to be correlated with optimal sleep duration is interesting. However, that doesn’t mean eating more fruits and vegetables will cure insomnia – so it’s important to consider what else this correlation might mean.

As Dr Devika Bhushan, chief medical officer of Daybreak Health, told Medical News Today: “[The result of this study] raises the question of which came first – the sleep atypicality or the lower fruit and vegetable intake – and whether both are in fact referable to underlying stress biology.  

“Many stress-related health conditions, ranging from depression and chronic pain to heart and lung disease, can disturb healthy sleep habits and lead to atypical sleep duration. And stress pathway activation can also promote cravings for higher-calorie, higher-fat and carbohydrate-rich foods, often decreasing overall fruit and vegetable intake.” 

In this way, consuming fewer fruits and vegetables and dealing with sleep issues may both share a common factor – high levels of stress or illness. We know, for example, that not getting enough sleep can mess with the hunger hormones released by your brain and lead you to crave more sugary foods, so it’s hardly surprising that those who are struggling with their sleep eat less healthily than those people whose brains have been able to rest and reset.

Eating low levels of fruits and vegetables can also mess with your gut health, which plays a role in circadian rhythm regulation and, in turn, could make it harder to sleep.

While eating more fruit and vegetables might not help you sleep better, this study is a reminder of just how interconnected the body’s systems are, and how important it is to take a holistic approach towards improving health and wellbeing.

So, next time you’re beating yourself up over making unhealthy food choices after a bad night’s sleep, cut yourself a bit of slack; showing yourself a little bit of compassion will not only make you feel better, but it might also make it easier for you to do the things that could help you improve your sleep and diet in the long run.

Images: Getty