Sleep deprivation can significantly alter appetite hormones, leading to increased cravings for carbohydrates, according to sleep scientist Professor Russell Foster from the University of Oxford. While a single day of indulging in high-carbohydrate foods might not cause lasting harm for individuals without underlying health conditions, maintaining a balanced diet is recommended for improved sleep quality.
Consuming food too close to bedtime can also disrupt sleep. The digestive process generates heat, which can increase core body temperature and make it more difficult to fall asleep, especially in warm weather. "Also, you're generating heat in the process of digestion, so particularly in the hot weather it's going to be more difficult to get to sleep because your core body temperature will increase," Foster explained.
For adults, the consumption of alcohol, often viewed as a sleep aid, can have adverse effects. While it may induce a sense of sedation, alcohol can interfere with crucial sleep functions such as information processing and memory retention. "can actually take away some of the important things that we experience during sleep... the processing of information and the retention of memory", Foster noted.
IMAGE6:
IMAGE8:
IMAGE7:
