Why junk food disturbs sleep

EATING unhealthily doesn’t just affect your waistline – it also disrupts your sleep, research suggests.

Volunteers in a US study slept less deeply and took longer to drop off after eating sugary, fatty foods. And it seems to be a vicious cycle, as disturbed sleep leads us to crave snacks the next day.

However, fibre-packed meals led to deeper, more restorative sleep and helped people nod off more quickly.

The 26 participants spent five nights in a New York sleep centre. They took on average 12 fewer minutes to drop off after eating healthily. Researcher Dr Marie-Pierre St-Onge, of Columbia University, said: ‘Diet quality influenced sleep quality. It was most surprising that a single day of greater fat intake and lower fibre could influence sleep.’