A Good Night's Sleep Starts in the Kitchen: A Wake-Up Call for Health-Conscious Canadians
- 53% of Canadians say that sugary food and beverages have a negative impact on their sleep quality
- 77% of Canadians choose sleep over exercise when they haven't slept well
- 62% of Canadians notice a positive impact on their sleep quality after exercising
TORONTO, Nov. 1, 2023 /CNW/ - Exhausted Canadians are being encouraged to reconsider their nutritional choices to improve sleep as new research reveals a staggering nine in ten (85%) Canadians struggle with falling asleep, while half (52%) say they're not getting enough shut-eye.
The globe's top nutrition and fitness tracking app, MyFitnessPal commissioned a study and found that 47% of Canadians say that Daylight-Savings Time impacts their sleep and 90% of people say good quality of sleep positively impacts various aspects of their lives such as happiness (90%), nutrition (90%) and fitness (89%).
Making a smooth transition into the new time standard will be important as 47% of Canadians believe that diet and nutrition impact their sleep.
According to international sleep and nutrition expert, Dr. Chris Winter, the key to getting a good nights' sleep starts in the kitchen. "Good nutrition habits and a good night's sleep are intrinsically linked. Not only are people less likely to reach for unhealthy 'convenient' food, such as take-out when they're well-rested, but what and when we eat can also improve our sleep quality," says Dr. Chris Winter.
Unfortunately, there isn't one magic solution for everyone in terms of eating for sleep, but the survey reveals Canadians felt that some of the food groups that most likely supports sleep include, vegetables (89%), fruits (87%), fish (80%), while caffeine (87%), sugar (84%) and alcohol (82%) came out on top as the foods people believe are most likely to disrupt sleep.
"If you're looking for inspiration in the kitchen, studies have shown that foods high in tryptophan, an essential amino acid, can improve sleep quality. I would recommend including ingredients such as grains, nuts, hummus and chamomile tea for sounder sleep, especially in the evening," says Winter.
MyFitnessPal is introducing Sleep: a new integration feature that helps members make connections between foods eaten and their quality of sleep. As users log in and access the 'Sleep' section of the app, sleep data from the day before will be presented, alongside their food diary and nutritional information. Premium users will also have the ability to see time-stamps associated with logged food entries.
The Sleep feature on MyFitnessPal can be accessed when users pair the app with Health Connect (for Android users) or Apple Health (for iOs users). MyFitnessPal Sleep displays the data from Health Connect, pairing with Google Fit/Pixel, Oura, Whoop, Fitbit, and Samsung, while Apple Health users can pair their Apple iPhone and Watch, Oura, Whoop, Sleep Cycle, Pillow, Withings, Sleep++, and Auto Sleep.
Alongside the integration, MyFitnessPal is offering members a free 5-day Eat Right Sleep Tight plan that aims to help users break the cycle of exhaustion with tips on meal timing, hydration, and a bedtime routine for a restful, restorative night's sleep.
To learn more about the new Sleep integration', visit www.myfitnesspal.com. MyFitnessPal is free for download via App Store and Google Play.
MyFitnessPal is the No. 1 global nutrition and food tracking app for achieving health goals. Since 2005, MyFitnessPal has empowered over 200 million users in over 120 countries to log food intake, record exercise activity and weight, track wellness habits, and achieve their health and fitness goals.
As one of the world's most trusted and leading resources on nutrition, MyFitnessPal's mission is to ignite powerful nutrition and wellness change in members by empowering them to succeed on their own terms through personalized data-led insights, guidance, and unwavering support.
With one of the largest food databases in the world comprising over 18 million foods, access to over 500 recipes, over 50 workout routines, 80 exercise demos and over 35 connected fitness partners, MyFitnessPal provides users with tools for positive healthy change. The MyFitnessPal app is available on the App Store and Google Play store.
To learn more, visit www.myfitnesspal.com or follow MyFitnessPal on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.
- All data provided from a global survey (1,010 general Canadian participants) by MyFitnessPal research team, conducted September 2023.
SOURCE MyFitnessPal
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