Certain fruits eaten an 'hour' before bed may 'significantly increase' sleep efficiency
Medical conditions and work obligations can severely compromise sleep quality, but these issues can be mitigated with the right lifestyle changes. Some clinical institutions encourage the consumption of fruit to improve the duration and quality of shut-eye. The unique nutritional profiles of cherries and kiwifruit, for example, have proven useful in improving the overall efficiency of sleep.
The Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition was among the first to highlight the benefits of kiwi for sleep.
According to research published by the journal, kiwifruit contains a host of medical compounds comprising antioxidants and serotonin.
Both molecules have proven beneficial in the treatment of sleep disorders, helping improve the onset, duration and quality of sleep.
This conclusion was drawn after scientists conducted a study on a sample of twenty-four subjects aged between 20 and 55 years old.
All participants consumed kiwifruit "an hour" before bedtime every night over a period of four weeks while different parameters of sleep were assessed.
After four weeks, the patients demonstrated reduced waking time after sleep onset and a decrease in the time it took to fall asleep (sleep latency).
In fact, keep onset latency decreased by 35.4 percent and walking time after sleep onset fell by 28.9 percent.
"Total sleep time and sleep efficiency were significantly increased," noted the authors.
They then concluded: "Kiwifruit consumption may improve sleep onset, duration and efficiency in adults with self-reported sleep disturbances."
Though further investigations are warranted to confirm these effects, there are plausible explanations for the sleep-promoting effects of kiwis.
Firstly, the serotonin content of kiwis has been shown to play a unique role in the regulation of sleep cycles.
This is because it is a chemical precursor to melatonin, the main hormone responsible for inducing sleep.