Researchers at Uppsala University (Sweden) found that healthy and unhealthy diets do not affect the quality and duration of sleep perceived by a person, but affect its characteristics. Research results published In the journal Obesity.
Thus, a diet high in fat and sugar led to a decrease in delta activity – a high amplitude slow brain rhythm that can be seen on an electroencephalogram – but an increase in alpha and theta rhythm during deep sleep.
“Short-term consumption of an unhealthy diet alters the fluctuating properties of sleep that govern its restorative properties. The question of whether such changes would cause the adverse health effects associated with consumption of an unhealthy diet requires further research,” the study authors said.
Fifteen healthy men participated in the experiment. All volunteers were required to sleep 7-9 hours a day, keep a diary, and eat three meals a day. The first group sat on a “healthy” diet low in fat and sugar, and the second on an unhealthy diet. The scientists also collected EEG data from the participants’ brains while they slept.