«Breaking News» Switching to a Mediterranean diet 'could help you sleep LONGER each night'

Switching to a Mediterranean diet could help you sleep for longer each night, research suggests.

Greek scientists discovered people over the age of 65 slept sounder after eating olives, fish and seasonal fruits - major parts of the diet.

Experts are mystified as to how the diet, already known to boost heart health, may encourage people to sleep for longer.

However, they say it could boil down to some foods in the diet being 'good sources' of melatonin - a hormone that tells the brain it's time to switch off and sleep.

Greek scientists discovered people over the age of 65 slept sounder after eating olives, fish and seasonal fruits - major parts of the diet

Another theory stems down to the diet potentially helping combat other age-related diseases, such as hypertension, that can affect sleep.

And the researchers also said that their findings could also be explained by poor sleep potentially causing people to eat less healthy foods.

Nearly 1,650 adults over the age of 65 were quizzed to determine whether they had high, middle or low adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

Researchers at Harokopio University in Athens then evaluated the sleep quality of the participants over the following month.

This included how long it took them to nod off, for instance, and their levels of restlessness during the night and drowsiness during the day.

They found those with a low adherence to the diet reported worse sleep quality compared with those with middle or high adherence.

EXPLAINED: THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

Consuming more fruit and fish, and fewer sugary drinks and snacks, are the most important aspects of a Mediterranean diet.

Emphasis on: 

• Fruits


• Vegetables


• Legumes


• Nuts


• Seeds


• Whole grains


• Fish and meat 


• Monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil

Less of:

• Saturated fats, like butter


• Red meat 


• Processed foods, like juice and white bread


• Soda


• Sugar 

In moderation:

• A glass of red wine here and there is fine

How you can follow it:

• Eat more fish


• Squeeze more fruit & veg into every meal


• Swap your sunflower oil or butter for extra virgin olive oil


• Snack on nuts


• Eat fruit for dessert 

However, the sleep-boosting effect only worked in participants up to the age of 75, found Dr Mary Yannokoulia and colleagues.

Trials have shown the older people get, the more prone they are to sleep problems, so the Mediterranean diet 'might reach a plateau' and have no effect.

The results of the Harokopio study were published in the medical journal Geriatrics and Gerontology International.

Dr Yannakoulia has now called for further trials to determine exactly why the Mediterranean diet can promote better sleep.

However, she suggested it may because they contain melatonin – known to be involved in modulating circadian rhythms, or the body's internal clock.

She said: 'Some foods characterising the Mediterranean dietary pattern, such as olives, some kinds of fish and seasonal fruits, are good sources of melatonin.'

And Dr Yannokoulia added the frequency of other comorbidities in old age may explain why the diet can have an 'impact on sleep quality'.

She also said poor sleep is linked to high levels of inflammation and oxidation which harm cells.

Nutrients and minerals in the Mediterranean diet have been shown to combat these processes in previous studies.

A good night's sleep is especially important to older adults because it helps improve concentration and memory formation.

It also allows the body to repair any cell damage that occurred during the day and refreshes the immune system which in turn helps to prevent illnesses.

Last week an Italian study of 5,000 over 65s found adopting the diet even in later life cuts the risk of a premature death by 25 per cent. 

Link article

https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/06/switching-to-a-mediterranean-diet-could-help-you-sleep-longer-each-night/
Main photo article Switching to a Mediterranean diet could help you sleep for longer each night, research suggests.
Greek scientists discovered people over the age of 65 slept sounder after eating olives, fish and seasonal fruits – major parts of the diet.
Experts are mystified as to how the diet, already...

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Dianne Reeves Health HienaLouca





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