During our lives, we all found or still find ourselves following many different diets for a variety of reasons, including weight loss, improved health, and personal preferences. We are about to discuss some common diets include the ketogenic diet, vegan diet, vegetarian diet, paleo diet, low carb diet, and low fat diet. It is well known that proper nutrition and diet can have a significant impact on overall health and well-being, yet the effect they have on sleep is not as well understood. Some of the potential effects on sleep might be beneficial for different people, so of course, we made a short brief and hope you’ll find it educational and helpful.

Just before we dive into the different options and explanations, we consider your healthy well being as number one priority. Therefore, any information presented here doesn’t replace medical nor nutritional consultation.

Well, let’s start with some insights about different most familiar defined diets:

Keto Diet: The ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet designed to help the body enter a state of ketosis. During ketosis, our body switches carbohydrate burning with fat burning for fuel. Being one of the most recommended diets for diabetic patients and those who suffer with cardiovascular disease, some research suggests that the keto diet might also have a positive effect on sleep. Keto can actually help one improve sleep quality and duration. It’s worth mentioning that the transition from non-keto diet to keto takes time and a lot of effort, causing the beneficial effect to be long term effects.

Vegan Diet: A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that avoids meat, dairy, and eggs and many more animal products. Some research suggests that a vegan diet may have a positive effect on sleep, as it is typically rich in fruits, vegetables, and other sources of nutrients that are important for sleep. However, it is important to note that a poorly planned vegan diet may be lacking in certain nutrients that are important for sleep, such as vitamin B12 (found in meat, fish, dairy products etc.) and iron (found in meat, beans, nuts etc.).

Vegetarian Diet: A vegetarian diet is similar to a vegan diet in that it does not include meat, but it may include other animal products such as dairy and eggs. Like a vegan diet, a well-planned vegetarian diet can be rich in nutrients that are important for sleep. Yet, don’t forget that the diet is balanced and includes enough protein, as a deficiency in protein can disrupt both sleep quality and duration.

Paleo Diet: The paleo diet, also known as the "caveman diet," is based on the idea of eating like our ancestors did during the Paleolithic era. This diet includes a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods such as meats, vegetables, and nuts, but excludes grains, legumes, and dairy. Some research suggests that the paleo diet may also be beneficial to sleep, as it is rich in nutrients that are important for sleep, such as magnesium and tryptophan. Nonetheless, note that the paleo diet may be high in saturated fat and protein, which can disrupt sleep in some people. And in a moment of honesty, in 2023 most of our lives are not very adjusted for this kind of diet, so the chance of really doing it right, is not very high. The convenience in choosing your diet is one of the most important aspects.

Low Carb Diet: A low carb diet is a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat. This one can also have a beneficial effect on sleep, as it can help to improve sleep quality and duration. However, a low carb diet may also have a negative effect on sleep, as it can cause fatigue and disrupt the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. So, just like all other options, it’s very personal and the effects vary.

Low Fat Diet: A low fat diet is a diet that is low in fat and high in carbohydrates and protein. Some research suggests that a low fat diet may have a positive effect on sleep quality and duration. Nonetheless, it might affect your sleep negatively, as it may be lacking in certain nutrients that are important for sleep, such as healthy fats and healthy amounts of cholesterol.

After observing these many well defined options, I feel it’s fair to say that each and every one of us has different preferences, and many of us might find ourselves in a non-carb week right after a keto 3-days period, and it’s just because we live. Food is profoundly about providing us energy, yet the joy and experience of eating is important as well. 

I encourage you to use this information wisely, to be mindful of your choices and also to be compassionate with them later, too. Slight changes can improve your well-being in no-time, yet massive changes in no-time can have negative outcomes we all wish to avoid.

So…

Bon Appetit!
And have a good night’s sleep

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
https://www.nutritioned.org/types-of-diets/
https://www.nutritionadvance.com/types-of-diets//