Eating for Better Sleep & Foods that Improve Metabolic Health | Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
In a Nutshell
Sleep restriction increases calorie intake by ~250-400/day via sex-specific hormonal changes (higher ghrelin in men, lower GLP-1 in women) while only raising energy expenditure by ~90 calories, creating net weight gain and insulin resistance. Diet quality directly affects sleep: higher fiber improves deep sleep, while saturated fat and refined carbs reduce it and increase arousals. Eating earlier in the day, aligning with Mediterranean/DASH patterns, and avoiding late large meals optimize both fat oxidation and sleep architecture.
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Higher fiber intake was associated with more deep sleep. Higher saturated fat intake was linked to less deep sleep. Greater consumption of refined carbohydrates and simple sugars led to more arousals and reduced deep slow-wave sleep and REM sleep.
Andrew Huberman introduces Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, professor of nutritional medicine at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University School of Medicine. Her research uniquely examines the bidirectional relationship between sleep and food intake.
Key topics include how modest sleep deprivation increases hunger differently in men and women, the role of sleep in regulating blood sugar, cortisol levels, metabolism, and cardio-metabolic health, and how specific nutrients affect overall health beyond sleep.
Dr. St-Onge explains that sleep affects both what and how much people eat, and food choices affect sleep quality. Population studies show people who sleep too little have higher BMI than those with adequate sleep. The Nurses' Health Study tracked nurses over 14-15 years and found those sleeping 5-6 hours had much higher rates of weight gain compared to those sleeping 7-8 hours.
Dr. St-Onge's first NIH-funded study used a crossover design with participants receiving either 9-hour or 4-hour time in bed for five nights. For the first three days, participants ate identical controlled meals. Appetite-regulating hormones were measured along with neuroimaging of brain responses to food stimuli.
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