Most adults are told to aim for at least seven hours of sleep a night, yet sleep problems are common. An estimated 50 million to 70 million Americans live with conditions such as sleep apnea or insomnia that interfere with restorative rest. New research suggests that blood sugar status and day-to-day eating patterns may be part of the story.
In a recent study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, registered dietitian and clinical nutrition researcher Raedeh Basiri examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2007 and 2020. The analysis looked at adults with normal blood sugar, prediabetes and diabetes, and explored how their glycemic status, diabetes management and macronutrient intake related to sleep outcomes.
Across the dataset, people with diabetes were more likely than those without diabetes to report trouble sleeping, to have diagnosed sleep disorders and to experience abnormal sleep duration. Individuals with prediabetes showed similar trends, though the patterns were weaker than in those with diabetes. These findings suggest that blood sugar regulation and sleep are closely connected.
The study also identified links between diet composition and sleep. Low-protein diets, particularly when combined with high fat intake, were most consistently associated with poorer sleep across groups. In contrast, low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets were associated with a lower likelihood of short sleep duration in both people with diabetes and those with normal blood sugar.
Because the analysis is based on observational survey data, it cannot prove that any one eating pattern causes better or worse sleep. Factors such as disease severity, medication use, lifestyle habits and timing of meals may also play important roles. Still, the results highlight that glycemic status and macronutrient balance are worth considering when addressing sleep issues, especially in people with prediabetes or diabetes.
Basiri’s work focuses on personalized nutrition therapy and the use of tools such as continuous glucose monitoring to understand how whole foods and dietary patterns affect insulin resistance, glycemic control, sleep and mental and gut health. This study adds to a growing body of research suggesting that the relationship between food and sleep runs in both directions: what and how you eat may influence how well you sleep, and sleep quality can, in turn, affect blood sugar control.
For now, the findings support a simple takeaway. Paying attention to blood sugar management and overall diet quality is important not only for metabolic health, but potentially for sleep as well. Future research will be needed to sort out which patterns are most helpful for specific groups and how to translate these associations into practical day-to-day guidance.
The authors report that no financial support was received for this research or its publication.