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Abstract
Background: Sleep is a crucial behavioral state for bodily processes, protein production, and avoiding sluggishness. A normal individual requires 7-9 hours of quality sleep each day. Studies suggest that dietary adjustments can improve sleep quality.
Objectives: Our study aimed to highlight how dietary intake affected sleep patterns. The relationship between food's nutritional components and how they affect medical students' sleep quality was investigated.
Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out among 316 healthy volunteers. Volunteers underwent sleep evaluation through the PSQ1 scale and diet evaluation through a self-made questionnaire extracted from a food frequency questionnaire.
Results: A total of 316 participants (267 females, 49 males) completed the questionnaire. 53.9% of them were between the ages of 20 and 25, and 82.4% of them belonged to urban areas. We assessed the relationship between proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids in the diet and drew correlations between them. For proteins, the correlation showed a value of 0.04, which indicates a very weak positive relationship. For Lipids, the value was 0.15, and for carbohydrates, it was 0.13, which showed a weak positive correlation. So, people having high amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in their diet tend to have slightly longer sleep hours. Moreover, 35.1% of people reported that the intake of spicy foods decreased their sleep quality.
Conclusion: There is a strong relationship between the quality of sleep and the consumption of specific dietary items. Research on the nutritional underpinnings of these correlations in clinical trials may result in a renewed emphasis on functional foods as a means of preventing sleep disorders and other sleep-related illnesses.
Keywords: Food, Eating, Sleep, Students, Medical