Eating for Better Sleep & Foods that Improve Metabolic Health | Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, professor of nutritional medicine, discusses the bidirectional link between nutrition and sleep. She explains how sleep loss increases appetite and weight gain, and how meal timing and foods like fiber, ginger, and fats impact sleep quality and metabolism for better health.
Deep Dive Analysis
16 Topic Outline
Introduction to Dr. St-Onge's Work
Sleep Loss and Appetite Regulation
Sex Differences in Hunger Hormones
Sustained Sleep Restriction and Cardiometabolic Health
Weight Gain and Sleep Loss Mechanisms
Diet Quality and Sleep Duration/Insomnia
Specific Food Components and Sleep Quality
Personal Circadian Clocks and Sleep Timing
Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Testing
Kefir, Coffee Mannooligosaccharides, Ginger, and Fiber
Meal Timing and Fat Oxidation
Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) and Body Composition
Diet Strategies for Sleep and Metabolism
Seed Oils, Processed Foods, and Smoke Points
Industry-Sponsored Research and Publication Bias
Whole Foods vs. Supplements and Fiber
9 Key Concepts
Energy Balance Regulation
This refers to the balance between the energy consumed through food intake and the energy expended by the body, which directly influences weight gain or loss.
Ghrelin
A hormone that signals hunger and stimulates food intake, which has been observed to increase in men following periods of short sleep.
GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1)
A satiety hormone that helps suppress hunger and promote feelings of fullness, which has been found to be reduced in women after insufficient sleep.
Arousals (Sleep)
In the context of polysomnography, arousals are shifts from a deeper to a lighter stage of sleep, not necessarily full awakenings, and can be increased by consuming refined carbohydrates.
Thermic Effect of Food
The energy expended by the body to digest, absorb, and metabolize the nutrients from food, which can be slightly boosted by certain foods like ginger or medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).
Functional Foods
Foods that offer health benefits beyond their basic nutritional content, such as oats providing fiber for cholesterol reduction or kefir potentially impacting gut health.
Mannooligosaccharides (Coffee)
These are specific compounds extracted from spent coffee grounds that, when included in a coffee beverage, were shown in one study to lead to greater adipose tissue loss in overweight men.
Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs)
Fatty acids with 8 or 10 carbon chains that are metabolized differently than longer-chain fats; they travel directly to the liver and are burned more readily for energy, increasing the thermic effect of food.
Portfolio Diet
A dietary pattern designed for maximal cholesterol reduction, initially characterized by high intake of soy protein, nuts, plant sterols, and soluble fiber, demonstrating cholesterol-lowering effects comparable to statins.
9 Questions Answered
Even modest sleep deprivation (e.g., 45-90 minutes less per night) can increase hunger signals in men (ghrelin) and reduce satiety signals in women (GLP-1), leading to increased food intake and potential weight gain over time.
In controlled lab settings with fixed food intake, short sleep (4 hours/night for 5 nights) did not alter cortisol, glucose, or insulin levels, suggesting that metabolic abnormalities in real-world settings are compounded by poor food choices and sedentary behavior.
The sweet spot for optimal aging and overall health is typically between 6.5 to 7.8 hours of sleep per night, with both too little and too much sleep being suboptimal.
Diets aligned with the Mediterranean or DASH diets are associated with better sleep duration and reduced insomnia symptoms, while higher fiber intake promotes deep sleep and refined carbohydrates increase sleep arousals.
It is generally recommended to eat your last meal at least three hours before going to bed, as eating too close to sleep can increase body temperature and prolong the time it takes to fall asleep, reducing deep sleep.
Women tend to sleep slightly longer than men and are more sensitive to the impact of poor sleep on metabolic outcomes like blood pressure, even at lower thresholds of sleep apnea.
Snoring loudly, waking up unrefreshed, and feeling sleepy during the day are signs of sleep apnea. Diagnosis involves talking to a doctor for a polysomnography test, which can often be done at home.
Eating earlier in the day, such as an 8 AM to 6 PM window, leads to better fat oxidation compared to eating the same foods later in the day (e.g., 12 PM to 10 PM).
Reputable scientists conducting industry-sponsored research adhere to contracts that guarantee the right to publish findings regardless of the outcome, including null results, and challenges in publishing null results are common across all funding sources.
13 Actionable Insights
1. Prioritize Adequate Sleep for Metabolism
Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, as even mild, sustained sleep restriction (e.g., 1.5 hours less for 6 weeks) can increase insulin resistance, blood pressure, and lead to weight gain.
2. Shift Caloric Intake Earlier
Consume the majority of your daily calories in the first two-thirds of your waking day (e.g., an 8 AM to 6 PM eating window) to improve fat oxidation and overall cardiometabolic health.
3. Optimize Diet for Deeper Sleep
Increase fiber intake for more deep sleep and reduce saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, which are associated with less deep sleep and more sleep arousals.
4. Establish Pre-Sleep Eating Buffer
Eat your last meal at least three hours before going to bed to prevent increased body temperature and prolonged sleep onset, which can disrupt deep sleep.
5. Align Sleep with Circadian Rhythm
Maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time that aligns with your natural internal clock to optimize sleep quality and avoid fighting your body’s natural rhythms.
6. Understand Sex-Specific Hunger Signals
Be aware that sleep deprivation can increase ghrelin (hunger hormone) in men and reduce GLP-1 (satiety hormone) in women, leading to increased food cravings and intake.
7. Adopt Healthful Diets for Better Sleep
Follow dietary patterns like the Mediterranean or DASH diets, which are associated with better sleep duration and reduced symptoms of insomnia.
8. Incorporate MCT Oil for Metabolism
Consider replacing some standard fats with medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, as it can slightly increase the thermic effect of food and contribute to greater fat loss over time.
9. Use Ginger to Boost Calorie Burn
Consume ginger, for example, by dissolving ginger powder in warm water, as it can increase the thermic effect of food and slightly boost calorie expenditure.
10. Strategize Naps for Sleep Pressure
If napping, keep it short (30 minutes to an hour) and early in the day to avoid dissipating sleep pressure too close to your usual bedtime, which could make it harder to fall asleep at night.
11. Practice Portion Control
Be mindful of portion sizes, especially when dining out, as larger servings can contribute to overeating and make it harder to manage caloric intake.
12. Become Nutrition Label Savvy
Learn to read nutrition facts panels on food products to compare options and make informed choices that are relevant to your personal health goals.
13. Prioritize Whole Foods
Strive to obtain nutrients primarily from whole foods like fruits and vegetables, as they provide essential fiber, polyphenols, and other non-nutrient components beneficial for health beyond supplements.
5 Key Quotes
higher intakes of fiber were associated with more deep sleep, higher intakes of saturated fat, less deep sleep, and then more refined carbohydrates, simple sugars, more arousals.
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
when you don't sleep enough at night, you have both physiological signals to eat more for men or not stop eating in women that lead to greater food intake.
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
eating earlier is better overall. For cardiometabolic health, eating earlier is better.
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
Sleep is not just about the number of hours that you got, but it's also about the regularity, the quality, your satisfaction with it.
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
I think that there's, there's no reason to pit one another against the other, right? So like this one-on-one, but what's important is that also having a diet that's more plant-based, has higher volume, that's filling.
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
2 Protocols
Sleep Apnea Testing and Initial Management
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge- Talk to your doctor if you suspect sleep apnea (e.g., snoring loudly, waking unrefreshed, daytime sleepiness).
- Get tested via polysomnography or an in-home sleep test prescribed by your doctor.
- If diagnosed with excess weight, consider weight loss as a first-line treatment.
- If CPAP is recommended, ensure proper pressure settings are determined by a professional for effective use.
Portfolio Diet for Cholesterol Reduction
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge (describing David Jenkins' work)- Consume a diet high in soy protein (or other legumes).
- Include nuts in your diet.
- Incorporate plant sterols.
- Consume soluble fiber.
- The expanded version of the diet also includes monounsaturated fats like olive oil.