Benefits of fibre consumption for a better night's sleep
What we eat and drink before bed can affect the rise and fall of blood sugar throughout the night.
“If you eat a lot of sugary foods, for example a large dessert after dinner, that can disrupt your blood sugar,” said nutritionist Amanda Sauceda, M.S., RD in an Eating Well broadcast on Tuesday (25/8) local time.
Sauceda said eating a lot of sugary foods before bed causes blood sugar levels to rise and then fall rapidly, triggering hunger soon afterwards.
However, consuming fibre can help slow digestion and raise blood sugar more gradually.
The same was also conveyed by nutritionist Desiree Nielsen, RD, who said consuming fibre late at night will help slow the rate of nutrient absorption into the bloodstream.
Another benefit of fibre consumption was revealed by nutritionist Renee Korczak, Ph.D., RDN, CSSD, LD, who said arranging a menu with fibre-rich foods is a good strategy compared to resisting the urge to snack late at night.
Fibre is naturally filling and can help you stay full longer by slowing digestion. High-fibre foods such as vegetables, whole grains, and nuts are also high-volume foods and take up more space in the stomach than refined carbohydrate foods.
“This activates stretch receptors in your stomach that tell your brain you are full, as well as slowing gastric emptying to give your body more time to digest all that food,” said Nielsen.
Fibre can also support the body’s natural production of GLP-1, a hormone released by the gut after eating that signals to the brain that you are full.
Recent research shows that consuming fibre-rich foods can also support better sleep by influencing inflammation and the gut microbiome.
Research has found a link between higher dietary fibre intake and a lower risk of sleep disorders, and the link between fibre, better sleep, and reduced inflammation may be partly due to the gut microbiome.
Anti-inflammatory diets such as the Mediterranean diet are naturally rich in fibre and can also support a healthier gut microbiome. Research has also found that people with insomnia may have lower levels of short-chain fatty acids, compounds produced when gut bacteria ferment fibre, indicating a potential link between fibre intake, the gut microbiome, and sleep.
Furthermore, a study showed that dietary fibre can influence the production of serotonin and melatonin through the gut microbiome and short-chain fatty acids.
“It is thought that the gut microbiome can influence our body’s metabolism of tryptophan, and tryptophan is an important precursor of serotonin, which the body can convert into melatonin,” said Nielsen.
Bacteria in the gut help metabolise tryptophan, an amino acid the body uses to make serotonin. The body can then convert serotonin into melatonin.