This Food Influences The Quality Of Sleep

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Fish oil capsules, cod liver, and salmon fillet on wooden surface

Let's forget about warm milk. A new University of Pennsylvania study says fish may be the key to a good night's sleep.

The study, published Dec. 21 in Scientific Reports, found a link between regular fish consumption and better sleep quality among Chinese schoolchildren, likely thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids in this food. Mainly as a result of better sleep quality, the researchers found that children also scored higher on IQ tests.

"There is a relationship between fish consumption and better cognitive function. What we document here is that it is the better quality of sleep that explains the relationship,”says Adrian Raine, one of the study's authors and a professor of criminology, psychiatry, and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. "From A to B to C: from fish consumption to better sleep quality to better cognitive function."

The researchers asked 541 Chinese schoolchildren ages 9 to 11 to describe their eating habits, including how often they ate fish. Furthermore, parents were asked to answer questions about the children's sleep patterns. Later, the researchers tested the boys' IQ tests when they turned 12.

They found relationships between eating fish regularly - the more the better - and both better sleep and better test results. Raine explains that it appears that many of the cognitive benefits can be related to sleep. "The brain is much more plastic at an early age in the development of children," he says. "We could anticipate that eating fish at an early age can be particularly beneficial for a child's sleep and cognitive function."

While the study focused on children, Raine says: "It is highly likely that these results can be applied to adults as well," citing studies that have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can alter psychological function in adults..

Eating fish just a few times a month can improve brain function, Raine says. (Fish and omega-3s have also been shown to be good for the heart.)

"The important thing is to have a balanced diet. It doesn't have to be much, "she advises. "Even if parents get their kids to eat fish once a week it might be enough for there to be any difference in school and long-term performance, and especially in sleep."