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The alarming truth about how sugar ruins your sleep - The Guardian
It may be second nature to reach for a sweet boost when tired in the evening but this could lead to a disturbed night. How do you kick the habit?
Sugar is bad; sugar is evil; sugar is the devil. We all know that, although that doesn’t stop us from heaping it over our Weetabix every morning and adding it to tea and coffee.
Too much sugar can lead to weight gain, causes tooth decay and increases the risk of diabetes. But it also has another profound effect – it messes with your sleep, and in such a way that your sleeplessness will leave you with a craving for more sugar.
A 2016 study found that people who have diets high in sugar tend to sleep less deeply and display greater restlessness at night. According to Dr Michael Breus – AKA “the sleep doctor” – a US clinical psychologist who specialises in sleep disorders, too much sugar leads to a tendency to eat later in the day because blood sugar levels are zigzagging out of control. That adversely affects sleep, and your disrupted sleep will, in turn, produce an even greater craving for sugar the next day. The vicious circle is complete.
It may be second nature to reach for a sweet boost when tired in the evening but this could lead to a disturbed night. How do you kick the habit?
Sugar is bad; sugar is evil; sugar is the devil. We all know that, although that doesn’t stop us from heaping it over our Weetabix every morning and adding it to tea and coffee.
Too much sugar can lead to weight gain, causes tooth decay and increases the risk of diabetes. But it also has another profound effect – it messes with your sleep, and in such a way that your sleeplessness will leave you with a craving for more sugar.
A 2016 study found that people who have diets high in sugar tend to sleep less deeply and display greater restlessness at night. According to Dr Michael Breus – AKA “the sleep doctor” – a US clinical psychologist who specialises in sleep disorders, too much sugar leads to a tendency to eat later in the day because blood sugar levels are zigzagging out of control. That adversely affects sleep, and your disrupted sleep will, in turn, produce an even greater craving for sugar the next day. The vicious circle is complete.
