Following a keto diet regimen involves radically cutting your carbohydrate intake while consuming adequate protein and high levels of fat. This may cause your body to burn fat for energy rather than glucose, helping to reduce body weight rapidly and boost energy.
Does keto make you sleep better? In addition to these benefits, researchers have uncovered data indicating that following a keto regimen may improve rest quality and speed, increase REM sleep, decrease nighttime wake-ups, and lessen daytime sleepiness.
In this article, we explore the connection between the keto diet and sleep and offer tips to optimize your diet for deeper, more restorative rest.
Key Takeaways
- Research shows that following the keto diet may improve sleep quality, reduce wakeups, increase restorative sleep, and lessen daytime fatigue.
- The keto diet may boost sleep-regulating brain chemicals, balance insulin, and boost levels of the satiety hormone leptin.
- To prevent sleep disruptions, start and stop the keto diet gradually, and avoid a heavy meal 3 hours before bed.
- Include foods that boost tryptophan, melatonin, serotonin, or magnesium in your diet, including a light snack before sleep.
The Connection Between Diet and Sleep
The nutrients you consume daily have an impact on your sleep quality, and in turn, the quality of your rest can affect your diet. Evidence (1) indicates that poor rest can increase levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease the satiety-inducing hormone leptin to boost appetite.
If sleep deprivation is long-term, it may also increase the risk of insulin resistance and type II diabetes. Following a healthy, balanced diet may improve sleep outcomes, according to research.
A review in Cureus by Harsha Pattnaik, et al explains that “consuming a high-protein diet with essential amino acids, low-glycemic-index foods, and certain fruits rich in antioxidants can all contribute to better sleep quality (2).”
In contrast, alcohol and caffeine disrupt sleep, especially if consumed in the evening, and meals high in fat or protein close to bedtime may also impact rest as they take time to digest. Meal timing plays a role in sleep quality, and regular meals including a small dinner 3 hours before sleep is optimal.
Consuming a nutrient-rich, balanced diet may also help with weight management, which can have a positive impact on sleep quality and daytime energy levels. In turn, this may improve other parameters of health and well-being, like immune function, mood, and blood sugar levels.
How Keto Can Improve Sleep
Does keto improve sleep? Research indicates the potential benefits of following a keto diet in enhancing sleep quality, with one scoping review in the Journal of Sleep Research by Ludovica Pasca, et al highlighting its ability to improve overall rest, reduce sleep interruptions, increase restorative REM sleep, and decrease daytime fatigue (3).
There are several mechanisms activated when following the keto diet that help regulate the circadian rhythm and improve sleep-wake cycles. Some evidence indicates that keto increases levels of the sleep-regulating brain chemical adenosine, relaxing the central nervous system to enhance sleep speed and quality.
The keto diet may boost nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a chemical compound involved in metabolism and longevity. Research (4) also indicates its potential to regulate the circulation rhythm, improve sleep quality, and enhance deep sleep.
The keto diet may also increase leptin levels and balance insulin to help curb daytime carb appetite, contributing to weight loss.
Do you burn fat while sleeping on keto? Research indicates that poor sleep may inhibit fat loss, increasing the risk of obesity. The keto diet helps enhance sleep quality and promote rapid fat-burning, day and night.
Optimizing Your Keto Diet for Sleep
An optimizing keto diet as per need
The research mostly supports the benefits of the keto diet in improving sleep quality, however, how you follow the regimen can have an impact. Does keto make you sleep less? In some cases, when beginning the diet, it may disrupt rest quality as your body adjusts.
To combat this, begin the keto diet slowly, transitioning to a low-carb diet higher in healthy fats and protein over a 2-4 week period. In most cases, sleep issues disappear quickly once your body adapts to the regimen.
In addition, what you eat and when on the keto diet can impact sleep. How to improve sleep on keto? Consuming a high-fat meal close to bedtime will most likely cause sleep disruptions, so time your last meal for at least 3 hours before.
You may want to have a light snack before bed to keep your blood sugar levels balanced at night.
Incorporate foods that increase levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, the amino acid tryptophan, the neurotransmitter serotonin, or the essential mineral magnesium to optimize the quality of your rest on the keto diet, including:
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cheese
- Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds
- Nuts
- Cherries
- Fatty Fish
- Oysters
- Kiwi Fruit
- Grapes
- Oranges
- Pineapple
- Mushrooms
- Leafy Greens
Potential Challenges and Solutions
Does keto improve sleep? On the whole, as we’ve indicated, studies show that following the keto diet could indeed help improve sleep quality and duration. However, there are several challenges you may face:
Challenge #1: Starting the Keto Diet
As we explained, beginning the keto diet suddenly can lead to temporary disruptions in sleep quality as your body adjusts to the new regimen. This is your body’s response to any sudden transformation in nutritional patterns.
Solution: Begin Slowly
Start your keto diet slowly, decreasing carb intake slightly each day over several weeks until you reach your goal intake. Monitor your sleep as you go, adjusting your diet according to your body rhythm and the impact of the change.
Challenge #2: Carbs, Protein, and Amino Acids
While some studies indicate the great benefits of a high protein diet in improving sleep quality (5) and duration, other research shows that it may boost levels of the amino acid tyrosine, which is associated with increased alertness.
In addition, carbohydrates help elevate levels of the amino acid tryptophan, linked to drowsiness and enhanced sleep quality. With lower levels on the keto diet, some think this could impact sleep, although this is not confirmed in the research.
Solution: Tailor Your Diet
On the keto diet, protein should make up only 20-30% of your total intake. To limit high levels of tyrosine in the evening, have dinner well before bedtime and eat a tryptophan or melatonin-boosting snack before bed, like fruit salad with nuts, cherries, oranges, and pineapple.
Challenge #3: Hunger
While proponents of keto claim it doesn't lead to hunger, any restricted diet may increase appetite if you don’t follow a balanced, properly timed regimen. Skipping meals can lead to additional caloric intake at night, which can disrupt sleep.
Solution: Timing and Balance
Ensure that you eat 3 properly timed meals and snacks to keep your blood sugar levels balanced throughout the day, and decrease the risk of nighttime over-snacking.
Challenge #4: Stopping the Keto Diet
Stopping the keto diet suddenly can negatively impact sleep quality, possibly leading to insomnia, nighttime wakeups, and increased daytime fatigue.
Solution: Taper Off
If you plan to stop the keto diet, do so as slowly and gradually as you began, increasing your carbohydrate intake slightly every day over 2-4 weeks to prevent sleep difficulties.
Additional Tips for Better Sleep
Following the keto diet is one way to help enhance your sleep quality while also slimming down to your goal weight. However, the are other methods you can incorporate to further boost the quality and duration of your rest.
These are some of our best tips for how to improve sleep on keto and generally:
- Build a Sleep Routine: Try to sleep and wake at approximately the same time daily, and have a nightly routine to help your mind get ready for bed. Wear cozy sleepwear and set the temperature in the room comfortably.
- Avoid Electronics Before Bed: To prevent the negative impact of blue light on your circadian rhythm and sleep quality, stop using electronics one hour before you go to sleep.
- Stay Hydrated: Make sure to take in adequate water daily, as an imbalance in electrolyte levels can disrupt sleep. However, limit liquid intake close to bedtime to prevent nighttime bathroom wakeups.
- Exercise Regularly: While you should avoid a heavy workout before bedtime, regular exercise may improve sleep according to Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital: “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality (6).”
- Manage Stress Levels: High levels of stress can disrupt your rest, as worrying can prevent you from drifting off to sleep. Incorporate anxiety-relieving techniques like yoga and meditation into your life and bedtime routine to ease tension.
- Take Supplements: If you don't want to take prescription sleep medication, there are multiple natural supplements on the market with ingredients like melatonin, chamomile, and valerian root to help enhance sleep quality, speed, and duration.
Conclusion
Followers of the keto diet often mention improved sleep as a key benefit they have experienced, in addition to weight loss and enhancements in other health parameters. Does keto make you sleep better? On the whole, the research supports the advantages of a low-carb diet in boosting levels of key amino acids and balancing hormone levels to help enhance sleep quality, length, and duration.
To avoid potential challenges to sleep, make sure that you begin the diet slowly, and also taper off gradually if you want to stop the regimen. In addition, avoid a heavy protein meal 3 hours before sleep, and include plenty of sleep-inducing foods in your daily meals.
In addition to your diet, following a healthy lifestyle may help improve sleep quality significantly. Combine your keto regimen with regular exercise and techniques to manage stress levels for regular restorative rest, enhanced overall well-being, and a better quality of life.