Do Low-Carb Diets = Low Sleep Nights?

Are you skipping carbs in hope of lowering the figure on your weighing scale? Or perhaps you’re trimming the fat in advance of the Lunar New Year? (Otherwise known as “ba kwa and pineapple tarts season”.)

If so, are you also finding it more difficult to fall asleep – and stay sleeping – these days?

Coincidence? Not according to science.

What’s the opposite of a carb coma? Low-carb insomnia

Many of us are familiar with what happens after a filling lunch – especially one packed with carbs – the inevitable food coma. But did you know that a low-cab diet can result in the opposite, insomnia?

Studies^1,2 have found links between low-carb diets and difficulties with staying awake at night, as well as an increased incidence of sleep apnea and insomnia.

What’s happening?

Is your diet low carb, high protein?

Experts say that carbohydrates increase the levels of amino acid tryptophan in the brain, which eventually leads to the production of melatonin – and this helps us to sleep.

Conversely, people on low-cab diets often stack up on proteins instead, which causes the body to produce adrenaline – effectively jolting you with energy, even when you’re desperately trying to sleep!

Suggestions for better sleep, a trimmer waistline and better health

We understand that you’re trying to lose weight and look good. After all, it’s a brand-new year. This is the best time to put those new year resolutions (especially your health-related goals) into overdrive!

Good carbs vs bad carbs

Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to put all those carbs back into your diet. But instead of cutting out all carbs, it can be helpful to separate “good carbs” from “bad carbs”.

Good carbs include vegetables, low glycaemic fruits, and whole grain fibre. These are rich in phytochemicals, which protect you from a whole range of illnesses. Meanwhile, bad carbs include processed food (like cereals and refined bread).

While bad carbs can help you fall asleep faster as well, they can also spike blood sugar levels (and the number of your weighing scale) – so choose wisely!

Exercise

Remember that exercise is an important component of weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. In fact, the Sleep Foundation³ says that moderate-to-vigorous exercise can help you fall asleep more quickly and increase the overall quality of your sleep – and even reduce the need for sleep medications (among people who use them).

So far, we’ve discussed carbs, your diet and exercise. Rounding up the “quality sleep” equation is, of course, a fantastic latex mattress!

Here’s why you’ll want to take note.

Better sleep = better weight loss?

Are you doing your best with diet and exercise, but not seeing the results you want?

Many people don’t realise that they’re sabotaging their efforts every night by not getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep experts say that sleeping shorter than six or seven hours every night, can lead to weight gain (or less than satisfactory results when trying to lose weight).

For the best quality sleep possible, we highly recommend a latex mattress like the ones in our Sofzsleep showrooms. If you haven’t tried laying down on latex mattress before, it’s a magical experience that you have to try for yourself!

And with our comprehensive range of mattresses, even the pickiest of sleepers will find a latex mattress they love, with the perfect combination of plushiness and firmness you want. (We even have mattresses with interchangeable layers – allowing you to transform your mattress from an ultra-squishy one to an incredibly firm mattress in minutes!)

Visit a Sofzsleep showroom for a test snuggle soon, so you can get the sleep – and the waistline – you want in 2022.

Sources

¹ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23419282/

² https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsr.12283

³ https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-activity/exercise-and-sleep