What is the relationship between fruits and vegetables and the ideal amount of sleep?

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Good health depends on a healthy diet, exercise, and adequate sleep.

There are clear connections between these elements: for example, good nutrition provides the energy needed for exercise, which in turn helps you get enough sleep.

In this regard, a new study, conducted by a team from the University of Helsinki in Finland, the National Institute of Health and Welfare, and Turku University of Applied Sciences, investigated the relationship between eating fruits and vegetables and ideal sleep duration. 

The research team studied details of the National FinHealth 2017 study. 5,043 adults, aged 18 years and older (55.9% female; average age 55 years), provided detailed responses to a questionnaire about their usual daily diet, reporting their chronotypes (propensity to Sleeping at a certain time of day) and the typical duration of sleep within a 24-hour period.

It was found that there were 3 categories of sleep duration: short (less than 7 hours/day; 21%), normal (7-9 hours/day; 76.1%), and long (more than 9 hours/day; 2.9%).

The majority of participants (61.7%) classified themselves as an intermediate type, while 22.4% of them identified themselves as a morning type, and 15.9% as an evening type.

“Studies have shown that evening chronotypes are often associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors, including a tendency toward obesity-related eating habits,” the researchers say.

It turned out that people who slept normally ate fruits and vegetables at a higher rate than people who slept for a short or long period. 

The researchers also noted that sleep duration categories could indicate, to some extent, expected levels of fruit and vegetable intake. This is in line with the results of a 2023 study, which found a decrease in fruit and vegetable intake among teens the day after a short night of sleep.

The researchers noted that lower intake of fruits and vegetables, in general, is associated with longer and shorter sleep durations. 

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.