A new study shows that the type of food consumed may be linked to sleepiness or alertness during the day, reports Medical Xpress.
A healthy diet along with exercise is very essential in maintaining good health. The amount and type of food that is consumed on a daily basis helps in either maintaining good health or exposing one to health problems.
Choosing the right type of food can not only keep away health problems, but also help in being alert and attentive during the day. In the study, researchers have linked the consumption of fat with daytime sleeping, while high intake of carbohydrates works otherwise.
Carbohydrates help in producing glucose in the body, which generates energy to stay active. Fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals and milk are food rich in carbohydrates.
Researchers analyzed 31 healthy, non-obese normal sleepers aged between 18 and 65 years old. The participants spent four nights in a sleep lab and their diet was reviewed by the researchers.
On the fourth day, participants' daytime sleepiness was reviewed using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). According to the results, participants who consumed higher carbohydrates were found to be more attentive.
"Increased fat consumption has an acute adverse effect on alertness of otherwise healthy, non-obese adults," said principal investigator Alexandros Vgontzas, MD, professor of psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
However, researchers did not find an association between protein intake with either sleepiness or alertness. The end result did not alter with the participants' age, gender, body mass index (BMI), amount of sleep they had or even the total calorie intake.
"Excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue are very prevalent in the modern world and on the rise," said Vgontzas. "It appears that a diet high in fat decreases alertness acutely, and this may have an impact on an individual's ability to function and also public safety."
The findings of the study are published in an online journal Sleep, and will be presented in Baltimore, Maryland, at SLEEP 2013, the 27th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, on June 4.
