Eating almonds every day helped improve sleep quality in adults who struggled with sleep problems, according to a randomized controlled trial published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
The study involved 175 people aged 21 to 55 who reported poor sleep. Over five months, one group ate almonds daily while the other ate a snack with similar calorie content. Researchers assessed sleep quality before and after the trial using questionnaires and polysomnography, and measured melatonin levels along with other biochemical markers.
What the researchers found
Participants who regularly ate almonds reported higher subjective sleep quality than the control group. They fell asleep faster, woke up less often during the night, and rated their sleep efficiency as higher. They also scored lower on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and had higher levels of melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
Objective measures recorded through polysomnography, however, did not differ significantly between the two groups in most cases. The study authors said almonds should not be viewed as a treatment for insomnia, but that eating them regularly could form part of a healthy diet that supports better sleep, particularly for people with mild sleep disturbances.
