Could ultra-processed foods be linked to your insomnia?

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may be linked to insomnia, which affects about a third of adults. An analysis of dietary and sleep habits published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shows a statistically significant association between UPF consumption and chronic insomnia, independent of sociodemographic, lifestyle, diet quality, and mental health factors.

Principal investigator Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, of the Division of General Medicine and the Center for Excellence in Sleep and Circadian Research, Columbia University Department of Medicine, explains, "At a time when more foods are highly processed and sleep disturbances are becoming more common, it is important to evaluate whether diet can contribute to worse or better sleep quality."

While previous studies have looked at the effects of nutrients or dietary supplements on sleep (e.g., protein, magnesium), this study is groundbreaking in that it evaluates dietary patterns beyond nutrients and specific foods, showing that the degree of processing of foods may matter for sleep health.

Dr St-Onge adds: “Our research group has previously reported associations between healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, and a reduced risk of insomnia and poor sleep quality (in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies), and associations between high-carbohydrate diets and an increased risk of insomnia. UPF consumption is increasing worldwide and has been linked to numerous diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.”

To examine the association of dietary intake with sleep, this large epidemiological study used NutriNet-Santé data from over 39,000 French adults. This large cohort study was ideally suited to address this question given the inclusion of sleep variables and multiple days of detailed dietary information.

Data were collected every six months from 2013 to 2015 from adults who completed multiple 24-hour dietary reports and provided information on insomnia symptoms. Definitions of insomnia were based on DSM-5 and ICSD-3 criteria.

Participants reported consuming approximately 16% of their energy from UPF, and approximately 20% reported chronic insomnia. Individuals who reported chronic insomnia consumed a higher percentage of their energy from UPF. The association between high UPF intake and insomnia was evident in both men and women, but the risk was slightly higher in men than in women.

First author Pauline Ducquen, MSc, from the Université Paris Nord Sorbonne and the Université Paris, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Research Team on Nutritional Epidemiology (EREN), Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), cautions: “It is important to note that our analyses were cross-sectional and observational in nature, and we did not assess longitudinal associations. Although the data do not establish causality, our study is the first of its kind and contributes to the existing knowledge base on UPF.”

Other limitations of the study include reliance on self-reported data and possible misclassification of some products. Caution should be exercised in generalizing the results, as NutriNet-Santé includes a higher proportion of women and individuals with high socioeconomic status compared to the general French population, although UPF consumption was similar to a nationally representative sample.

The researchers recommend that future studies test for causality and evaluate associations over time. However, they advise people with sleep problems to consider their diet to determine whether UPF may be contributing to their sleep problems.