“All the children are tucked in their beds
Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads.”
We got over Christmas. Have you gotten over your addiction to sugar?
Refined sugars have a direct oxidative, inflammatory effect on the brain. Indirectly, they mess up our microbiome, which leads to endotoxemia, or gut toxins in the blood, which end up revving up the brain. They also cause fatty liver, which disrupts our sleep cycles.
So, if you are having trouble sleeping, say no to the sugar-plum fairies.
Reference
Higher dietary glycemic index is tied to insomnia
“Reuters (12/19, Rapaport) reports women with higher dietary glycemic index scores were more likely to have insomnia, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers examined “food diaries for more than 50,000 women in their mid-60s who had already gone through menopause” and found that “women with the highest dietary glycemic index scores – meaning they consumed more refined carbohydrates like white bread, sweets and sugary soda – were 11% more likely than women with the lowest scores to report insomnia at the start of the study period.” In addition, “they were also 16% more likely to develop new insomnia during the three-year follow-up period.”
