Takaisin

The association between dietary quality and insomnia or sleep health among general population

Näytönastekatsaukset
Tarja Kaipainen
2.6.2026

Level of evidence: C

Higher adherence to Mediterranean and high-quality diets may decrease while higher intake of energy drinks may increase insomnia symptoms among general population.

Although most studies were of acceptable methodological quality, the overall certainty of evidence is low. The findings are based mainly on observational, cross-sectional studies with heterogeneity in design and outcome measures. The evidence is further limited by potential bias, confounding, imprecision, and reliance on self-reported data. Longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to confirm causality and clarify underlying mechanisms.

Table 1. Description of the included studies
Reference Study type Population Intervention and comparison Outcomes Risk of bias [Table «Additional comments for included studies...»2 Additional comments]
RCT=randomized controlled trial; SR=systematic review; MA=meta-analysis
«Arab A, Lempesis IG, Garaulet M, et al. Sleep and ...»1 SR, MA Children, adults
general population
observational studies. The association between sleep duration, sleep quality, and chronotype with the Mediterranean diet. Sleep duration and quality were assessed using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and open questions. Moderate
«Arab A, Karimi E, Garaulet M, et al. Dietary patte...»2 SR, MA among the general population, China, Finland, France, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United States observational studies the association between dietary patterns and insomnia symptoms (as difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep, and/or early morning awakening). Moderate
«Pourmotabbed A, Awlqadr FH, Mehrabani S, et al. Ul...»3 SR, MA Adults, adolescents.
France, Iran, Brazil, Mexico.
cross-sectional studies The association between ultra-processed foods and the risk of insomnia Moderate
«Shahdadian F, Boozari B, Saneei P. Association bet...»4 SR, MA Children, adults cross-sectional studies the relation between short sleep duration and sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages intake Moderate
«Nadeem IM, Shanmugaraj A, Sakha S, et al. Energy D...»5 SR, MA Children, adults.
Asia, USA, Europe, Australia, Middle East
cross-sectional and RCT studies To evaluate the adverse effects (i.e. insomnia) of energy drink consumption Moderate
Table 2. Additional comments for included studies
Reference Comments
«Arab A, Lempesis IG, Garaulet M, et al. Sleep and ...»1 The nature of studies, variable quality of the data increase the risk of bias.
«Arab A, Karimi E, Garaulet M, et al. Dietary patte...»2 The nature of studies, variable quality of the data increase the risk of bias. Occurrence of insomnia syndrome was assessed by Insomnia severity index (ISI), Athens insomnia scale (AIS), Women's health initiative insomnia rating scale (WHIIRS), European organization for research and treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Menopause rating scale (MRS), Jenkins sleep questionnaire (JSQ) and Duke structured interview for sleep disorders (DSISD).
«Pourmotabbed A, Awlqadr FH, Mehrabani S, et al. Ul...»3 The nature of studies, variable UPF definition.
«Shahdadian F, Boozari B, Saneei P. Association bet...»4 The nature of studies, variable quality of the data increase the risk of bias. Short (vs. optimal) sleep duration in adults was associated with a 58% higher intake of energy drinks. Occurrence of insomnia syndrome was assessed by DSM-V and ICSD-3, ISI, Study questionnaire.
«Nadeem IM, Shanmugaraj A, Sakha S, et al. Energy D...»5 The nature of studies. Assesment of the occurrence of insomnia syndrome was not reported.

Results

Table 3. Occurrence of insomnia disorder
Reference Number of studies and number of patients (I/C) Absolute number of events (%) I Absolute number of events (%) C Relative effect (95% CI)
Level of evidence: very low
* Statistically significant
The quality of evidence is downgraded due to (study limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, publication bias). The quality of evidence in upgraded due to large or very large effects, dose-response gradient, effect of plausible residual confounding).
«Arab A, Karimi E, Garaulet M, et al. Dietary patte...»2 High-quality diet
(highest vs. lowest adherence)
6 studies
total 18988
N/A N/A OR 0.66 *
(0.48–0.90)
[very low]
Mediterranean diet
(highest vs. lowest adherence)
10 studies
total 13511
N/A N/A OR 0.86 *
(0.79–0.93)
[very low]
DASH
(highest vs. lowest adherence)
3 studies
total 909
N/A N/A OR 1.01
(0.94-1.07)
[very low]
«Pourmotabbed A, Awlqadr FH, Mehrabani S, et al. Ul...»3 Ultraprocessed food consumption (higher vs. lower)
7 studies
total 159427
N/A N/A OR 1.53 *
(1.20–1.95)
[very low]
«Nadeem IM, Shanmugaraj A, Sakha S, et al. Energy D...»5 Energy drinks
4 studies
63/63
N/A N/A OR 5.02 *
(95 % CI 1.72–14.63)
[low]

High-quality diet was estimated via the healthy eating index; highest vs. lowest adherence= Comparisons were made between people with the highest adherence to any specific dietary patterns and those with the lowest adherence; DASH=Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy, while limiting salt, saturated fats, sugar, and red meat. The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and olive oil. Ultraprocessed food defined as heavily industrially processed items containing artificial additives and high levels of sugar, fat, or salt with low nutritional fiber.

Table 4. Sleep quality
Reference Number of studies and number of patients (I/C) Absolute number of events (%) I Absolute number of events (%) C Relative effect (95% CI)
Level of evidence: very low
The quality of evidence is downgraded due to (study limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, publication bias). The quality of evidence in upgraded due to large or very large effects, dose-response gradient, effect of plausible residual confounding)
I= intervention; C=comparison; CI=confidence interval
«Arab A, Lempesis IG, Garaulet M, et al. Sleep and ...»1 Mediterranea diet score (Insufficient vs.
good -quality sleep)
13 studies
overall 29 614
N/A N/A OR 1.38 *
(1.10–1.73)
very low
Table 5. Sleep duration
Reference Number of studies and number of patients (I/C) Absolute number of events (%) I Absolute number of events (%) C Relative effect (95% CI)
Level of evidence: low
The quality of evidence is downgraded due to (study limitations, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, publication bias). The quality of evidence in upgraded due to large or very large effects, dose-response gradient, effect of plausible residual confounding).
I= intervention; C=comparison; CI=confidence interval
«Arab A, Lempesis IG, Garaulet M, et al. Sleep and ...»1 Mediterranea diet score (insufficient vs.
sufficient sleep duration)
13 studies
total 227151
N/A N/A OR 1.39 *
(1.04–1.85)
low
«Shahdadian F, Boozari B, Saneei P. Association bet...»4 Soda intake
(adults) (low vs. optimal
sleep duration)
2 studies
total 20566
N/A N/A OR 1.20 *
(1.12–1.28)
moderate
Energy drinks intake (adults) (low vs. optimal
sleep duration)
2 studies
total 3641
N/A N/A OR 1.58 *
(1.31–1.90)
low

References

  1. Arab A, Lempesis IG, Garaulet M, et al. Sleep and the Mediterranean diet: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev 2025;80():102071 «PMID: 40081182»PubMed
  2. Arab A, Karimi E, Garaulet M, et al. Dietary patterns and insomnia symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev 2024;75():101936 «PMID: 38714136»PubMed
  3. Pourmotabbed A, Awlqadr FH, Mehrabani S, et al. Ultra-Processed Food Intake and Risk of Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2024;16(21): «PMID: 39519600»PubMed
  4. Shahdadian F, Boozari B, Saneei P. Association between short sleep duration and intake of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Sleep Health 2023;9(2):159-176 «PMID: 36424247»PubMed
  5. Nadeem IM, Shanmugaraj A, Sakha S, et al. Energy Drinks and Their Adverse Health Effects: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Health 2021;13(3):265-277 «PMID: 33211984»PubMed