健康话题：吃出好睡眠，那些助眠食物、营养策略与科学膳食建议
正文翻译
Most of us know going to bed on a full stomach can affect our sleep. Changing what we eat and the time of day we eat certain foods can help us sleep better.
我们大多数人都知道，临睡前吃得太饱会影响睡眠。调整我们的饮食内容以及进食时间，有助于提升睡眠质量。
We've all woken up the morning after a large, late night meal feeling tired out. The extra energy required to digest big portions of rich food can eat into our kip, leading to a disturbed night's sleep.
我们都经历过：前一天晚上吃了大量、油腻的夜宵后，第二天早上醒来感觉疲惫不堪。这是因为消化大量高脂食物需要额外的能量，这会干扰我们的休息，导致整晚睡眠不安稳。
Thankfully, there are also ways we can try to improve our sleep through our diet by avoiding certain foods and drinks known to keep us awake, such as those containing caffeine. But can we also eat other foods – particularly before we go to bed – to boost the quality of our sleep further?
幸运的是，我们也可以通过饮食来改善睡眠——比如避免摄入那些已知会让人保持清醒的食物和饮品（如含咖啡因的饮料）。但除此之外，是否还有某些特定食物（尤其是在睡前食用）能进一步提升我们的睡眠质量呢？
Food or diet?
Several studies have narrowed in on certain suppers that could improve our sleep. Some small trials have found that tart cherry juice, for example, can help people sleep better, and others find that eating kiwifruit before bed is beneficial. There's also some research showing that warm milk can help us sleep. It is thought the high levels of tryptophan – from which the "sleep hormone" melatonin is synthesised by the body – in milk may help to induce sleep onset.
是“某种食物”还是“整体饮食”？
一些研究聚焦于某些晚餐可能有助于改善睡眠。例如，一些小型试验发现，酸樱桃汁可以帮助人们睡得更好；另一些研究则表明，睡前吃猕猴桃有益睡眠。还有一些研究显示，热牛奶有助于入睡。人们认为，牛奶中富含色氨酸（tryptophan），而人体正是利用色氨酸合成“睡眠激素”——褪黑素（melatonin）。
Melatonin regulates our sleep/ wake cycle. Our bodies produce more of it later in the day, when it starts to get dark. But we can also get melatonin directly from foods, including eggs, fish, nuts and seeds.
褪黑素调节我们的睡眠-觉醒周期。随着天色变暗，人体在傍晚时分会自然分泌更多褪黑素。但我们也可以直接从食物中摄取褪黑素，例如鸡蛋、鱼类、坚果和种子等。
Numerous studies have found that eating melatonin-rich foods can improve sleep quality, and help us sleep for longer. But there's also a lot of research to suggest that any one particular food or drink is not enough to improve sleep – and it's our overall diet that matters.
大量研究表明，摄入富含褪黑素的食物可以改善睡眠质量，并延长睡眠时间。然而，也有大量研究指出，单靠某一种食物或饮品并不足以显著改善睡眠——真正重要的是我们的整体饮食结构。
"You can't eat poorly all day long and think that it's enough to have a glass of tart cherry juice before bedtime," says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition in New York.
纽约哥伦比亚大学人类营养研究所营养医学教授玛丽-皮埃尔·圣昂日（Marie-Pierre St-Onge）表示：“你不可能整天胡吃海塞，然后以为睡前喝一杯酸樱桃汁就万事大吉了。”
This is because extracting the nutrients from food that the body can use to produce neurochemicals that promote sleep doesn't happen within a couple of hours, she says.
Instead, it's what we eat throughout the day that can improve sleep quality.
她解释说，这是因为身体从食物中提取用于合成促进睡眠神经化学物质的营养成分，并非短短几小时内就能完成的过程。真正影响睡眠质量的，是我们一整天所吃的食物。
What type of diet best promotes sleep?
Research shows that the most beneficial diet for sleep seems to be a plant-based diet that includes lots of wholegrains, dairy and lean proteins including fish, says Erica Jansen, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan in the US.
哪种饮食最有助于睡眠？
美国密歇根大学营养科学助理教授埃丽卡·詹森（Erica Jansen）表示，目前研究显示，最有利于睡眠的饮食是一种以植物性食物为主、包含大量全谷物、乳制品以及瘦肉蛋白（如鱼类）的饮食方式。
In her 2021 study looking at the relationship between sleep and diet, Jansen found that people who started eating more fruit and vegetables every day over a period of three months can dramatically improve their sleep.
在她2021年的一项研究中，詹森考察了饮食与睡眠之间的关系。她发现，如果人们连续三个月每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量，其睡眠状况会显著改善。
Low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia
More than 1,000 participants were tasked with increasing their daily intake of fruit and vegetables. This increase was to tease apart the two-way relationship between sleep and diet that besets research in this area – population studies could show people with healthier diets have better sleep, but there's always the chance they make better choices with food because they're better rested.
研究还发现，色氨酸摄入不足与睡眠时间缩短及失眠风险升高密切相关。
超过1000名参与者被要求每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量。这样做的目的是厘清睡眠与饮食之间复杂的双向关系——以往的人群研究虽然显示饮食更健康的人睡眠更好，但也有可能是因为他们本身睡眠充足，所以更容易做出健康的饮食选择。
Jansen found that women were more than twice as likely to experience an improvement in insomnia symptoms after eating an extra three or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
詹森发现，女性在每天额外摄入三份或更多蔬果后，失眠症状改善的可能性提高了两倍以上。
One reason for this is that fruit and vegetables (along with meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and legumes) are generally high in the essential amino acid tryptophan.
其中一个原因在于，水果和蔬菜（以及肉类、乳制品、坚果、种子、全谷物和豆类）通常富含一种必需氨基酸——色氨酸。
In a 2024 study in Spain, more than 11,000 students were asked about their sleep habits and diet. It found that the quartile that consumed the least tryptophan on a daily basis had significantly worse sleep outcomes. The researcher conclude that low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia. Eating foods containing more tryptophan may improve sleep quality, they suggest.
2024年西班牙一项针对11,000多名学生的研究也得出了类似结论：每日色氨酸摄入量最低的那组人，睡眠质量明显更差。研究人员总结称，低色氨酸摄入与睡眠时间短、失眠风险高密切相关，并建议通过摄入更多富含色氨酸的食物来改善睡眠质量。
The reason tryptophan is important, Jansen says, is because it's a precursor of serotonin, which then gets converted into melatonin.
"If the body doesn't have tryptophan, or direct sources of melatonin from food, the levels of melatonin produced by the body will be reduced," she says.
詹森解释，色氨酸之所以重要，是因为它是血清素（serotonin）的前体，而血清素随后会被转化为褪黑素。
“如果身体缺乏色氨酸，或者没有从食物中直接获取褪黑素，那么体内产生的褪黑素水平就会降低，”她说道。
But it isn't just as simple as eating tryptophan-rich foods, she adds. It needs to be eaten with a high-fibre carbohydrate, such as a wholegrain or legume. This allows it to be digested properly and make its way to the brain, from where it can improve sleep.
但她也补充说，事情并非那么简单——仅仅吃富含色氨酸的食物还不够。它还需要搭配高纤维碳水化合物（如全谷物或豆类）一起食用，这样才能被有效消化并顺利进入大脑，从而改善睡眠。
There are many other ways that a plant-rich diet may improve sleep, too. Diets high in plant foods are known to reduce inflammation in the body, for example, and some research suggests that lower levels of inflammation are associated with better sleep quality.
此外，富含植物性食物的饮食还能通过其他多种机制改善睡眠。例如，高植物性饮食已被证实可减少体内炎症，而一些研究也表明，较低的炎症水平与更好的睡眠质量相关。
In her research, has found that improved sleep is associated with diets high in fibre, which plays a crucial role in bacterial fermentation in our guts. Studies shows that there are numerous possible beneficial mechanisms that can explain why a healthy gut can improve sleep, via the gut-brain axis.
在她的研究中还发现，高纤维饮食与睡眠改善密切相关。纤维在肠道菌群发酵过程中起着关键作用，而越来越多的研究表明，健康的肠道可通过“肠-脑轴”机制改善睡眠。
Magnesium is another reason plant-rich diets may be conducive to a good night sleep
There are also animal studies showing a connection between improved sleep and intake of the beneficial plant compounds polyphenols. However, St-Onge says, it's difficult to uate this in human studies because databases showing the polyphenol content of different food – which would be used to measure how much a person consumes – can't be entirely accurate.
镁元素也是植物性饮食助眠的原因之一此外，动物实验也显示，摄入植物中的有益化合物——多酚（polyphenols）与睡眠改善有关。不过圣昂日指出，在人类研究中很难准确评估这一点，因为用于衡量人们多酚摄入量的食物数据库并不完全准确。
This is because the amount of polyphenols in food varies from crop to crop, year to year, depending on soil type, weather conditions and farming processes. This is the same for the amount of melatonin in plant-based foods, which also may differ depending on how and where it was grown.
这是因为不同作物、不同年份、不同土壤类型、气候条件和耕作方式都会影响食物中多酚的含量。植物性食物中的褪黑素含量同样存在这种差异。
How helpful is magnesium?
Magnesium is another nutrient found in plant-rich diets that may be conducive to a good night sleep. This is because it can help to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the nervous system.
镁元素对睡眠有帮助吗？
镁是另一种存在于植物性饮食中的营养素，也可能有助于良好睡眠。因为它能帮助降低压力激素皮质醇（cortisol）的水平，从而镇静神经系统。
It's recommended most adults over 30 consume around 420mg of magnesium per day. It can be found in many foods, including green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, as well as legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.
建议30岁以上的成年人每天摄入约420毫克镁。富含镁的食物包括绿叶蔬菜（如菠菜）、豆类、坚果、种子和全谷物。
However, many people are lacking this nutrient. Experts say this is partly because of the Western diet (low in plants, high in ultra-processed foods), and partly because intensive farming practices reduce the amount of magnesium in the soil crops grow in. (Learn more about how processed foods became so unhealthy.)
然而，许多人缺乏这种营养素。专家指出，部分原因是西方饮食（植物摄入少、超加工食品多），另一部分原因是集约化农业降低了土壤中的镁含量。（了解更多关于超加工食品为何如此不健康的信息。）
In her 2024 study, Heather Hausenblas, a professor of exercise science at Jacksonville University in Florida in the US, tested the effects of increased magnesium intake on people who reported being poor sleepers.
2024年，佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔大学运动科学教授希瑟·豪森布拉斯（Heather Hausenblas）对自称睡眠不佳的人群进行了镁补充剂效果测试。
For two weeks, they took magnesium supplements one hour before bed while during another two week period they took a placebo pill. Their sleep was measured through a body-worn tracker and they also reported on how well they felt they'd slept.
参与者在两周内每晚睡前一小时服用镁补充剂，另外两周则服用安慰剂。他们的睡眠情况通过可穿戴设备追踪，同时自我报告主观睡眠感受。
Hausenblas found that the participants' deep and REM sleep improved more when they took magnesium, compared to taking the placebo. She suspects this effect would last longer than two weeks, but she can't say for certain.
豪森布拉斯发现，与服用安慰剂相比，服用镁补充剂期间，参与者的深度睡眠和快速眼动（REM）睡眠均有明显改善。她推测这种效果可能会持续超过两周，但尚不能确定。
However, while she says a good quality magnesium supplement could help people sleep better, Hausenblas says it isn't a cure-all.
One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed – Erica Jansen
"Just taking this before bed won't cure you of all sleep issues if don't get outside and exercise, eat lots of ultra-processed food and if you don't have a consistent sleep-wake cycle," she says.
尽管如此，她强调，高质量的镁补充剂或许能帮助改善睡眠，但它并非万能药。
“如果你白天不运动、吃大量超加工食品、作息不规律，光靠睡前吃点镁并不能解决所有睡眠问题，”她说。
Another reason why magnesium could improve sleep is because of its potential benefits to mental health. Research has found that poor sleep and depression, for example, are closely connected.
另一个可能的原因是镁对心理健康的潜在益处。研究发现，睡眠障碍与抑郁症等心理健康问题密切相关。
One study from 2017 found that a daily magnesium supplement led to a significant improvement in depression and anxiety, regardless of the person's age, gender or the severity of their depression.
More widely, research also shows that a diet high in fruit and vegetables can improve symptoms of depression.
2017年的一项研究发现，无论年龄、性别或抑郁严重程度如何，每日补充镁都能显著改善抑郁和焦虑症状。
更广泛地说，研究还表明，高蔬果摄入的饮食也能改善抑郁症状。
Can how we eat have an effect?
While researchers agree that one carefully sexted supper isn't enough to save us from a night of bad sleep, there may be something we can do about the timing of our meals throughout the day.
进食方式是否也有影响？
虽然研究人员一致认为，一顿精心挑选的晚餐不足以扭转整晚的糟糕睡眠，但调整全天的进餐时间或许有所帮助。
"One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed," says Jansen.
詹森表示：“睡前几小时停止进食非常重要，尤其不要把一天中最大量的热量留到晚上吃。”
When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep – Erica Jansen
There is a small body of research suggesting that having meals earlier in the day, starting with breakfast, is associated with better sleep quality. Research suggests that eating your last meal closer to bedtime can increase the time it takes you to fall asleep.
当昼夜分明时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了——埃里卡·詹森
一些研究表明，早点进食，尤其是早餐，与更好的睡眠质量相关。研究还表明，临睡前吃最后一餐可能会延长入睡时间。
This may be partially because it makes it easier for us to associate eating with the daytime, and nighttime with sleeping, says Jansen.
"When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep," she says. "The brain starts fresh every morning, and light exposure early in the morning is important for resetting our body clock."
"Eating time cues are another way of telling our body what time it is," Jansen says. "The body feels functions best when we're doing the same things at the same time every day."
她解释说：“当你清晰地区分白天和黑夜时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了。”
“大脑每天清晨都会重新启动，而早晨接触阳光对重置生物钟至关重要。”
“进食时间也是一种向身体传递‘现在是什么时间’的信号，”詹森说，“当我们每天在固定时间做同样的事情时，身体机能会运行得最好。”
And when you do eat breakfast, bear in mind that one study found that eating a dairy-rich breakfast in bright daylight may be more beneficial to sleep than eating it in a dimly lit room. This is because, researchers say, eating in the daylight allows our bodies to produce more melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep at night.
此外，有一项研究发现，在明亮的日光下吃富含乳制品的早餐，比在昏暗环境中吃更有助于夜间睡眠。研究人员认为，这是因为白天光照有助于身体产生更多褪黑素——这种激素会在夜间帮助我们入睡。
However, St-Onge says, scientists haven't produced any definitive answers yet on whether melatonin we might obtain from plants influences the melatonin our bodies produce, and how this might influence our sleep.
不过，圣昂日指出，科学家尚未明确回答：从植物中摄取的褪黑素是否会影响人体自身产生的褪黑素，以及这种影响如何作用于睡眠。
"Also, is our metabolism impacted by what we eat? This could be relevant for sleep. We need to dig further into those mechanisms," she says.
“并且，我们的新陈代谢是否受饮食影响？这也可能与睡眠相关。我们需要更深入地研究这些机制，”她补充。
Jansen agrees that this is a difficult area of research, with several unanswered questions, including the amount of melatonin we need in our diets for it to have an effect on sleep.
"It's difficult to study whether light is a bigger influence on melatonin than diet, or if they work together," she says.
詹森也同意这是一个研究难度较大的领域，仍有许多未解之谜，比如饮食中需要多少褪黑素才能对睡眠产生实际影响。
“很难判断是光照对褪黑素的影响更大，还是饮食的影响更大，或者两者协同作用。”
Optimising our diet for sleep
It seems that a plant-rich diet is the most beneficial for sleep, for numerous reasons – and that eating at consistent times throughout the day – for those who can – may also help.
优化饮食以改善睡眠
综上所述，富含植物性食物的饮食似乎对睡眠最为有益，原因多种多样。此外，对于有条件的人来说，每天在固定时间进食也可能有所帮助。
But our diet doesn't exist in a vacuum, and researchers stress that our sleep is also influenced by how much we move in the day, our mental health, and our exposure to light and darkness.
Also, St-Onge says, it's important to distinguish between poor sleep, and a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnoea.
"If you have a sleep disorder, you need to get tested and treated," says St-Onge. "Part of the treatment plan could be improving your diet, but some people will need something in addition to that."
但饮食并非孤立存在。研究人员强调，我们的睡眠还受到白天活动量、心理健康状况以及光照与黑暗暴露等因素的影响。
此外，圣昂日提醒，必须区分“普通睡眠不佳”和“睡眠障碍”（如失眠症或睡眠呼吸暂停）。
“如果你患有睡眠障碍，就需要接受专业检查和治疗，”圣昂日强调，“改善饮食可能是治疗计划的一部分，但有些人还需要其他干预措施。”
Most of us know going to bed on a full stomach can affect our sleep. Changing what we eat and the time of day we eat certain foods can help us sleep better.
我们大多数人都知道，临睡前吃得太饱会影响睡眠。调整我们的饮食内容以及进食时间，有助于提升睡眠质量。
We've all woken up the morning after a large, late night meal feeling tired out. The extra energy required to digest big portions of rich food can eat into our kip, leading to a disturbed night's sleep.
我们都经历过：前一天晚上吃了大量、油腻的夜宵后，第二天早上醒来感觉疲惫不堪。这是因为消化大量高脂食物需要额外的能量，这会干扰我们的休息，导致整晚睡眠不安稳。
Thankfully, there are also ways we can try to improve our sleep through our diet by avoiding certain foods and drinks known to keep us awake, such as those containing caffeine. But can we also eat other foods – particularly before we go to bed – to boost the quality of our sleep further?
幸运的是，我们也可以通过饮食来改善睡眠——比如避免摄入那些已知会让人保持清醒的食物和饮品（如含咖啡因的饮料）。但除此之外，是否还有某些特定食物（尤其是在睡前食用）能进一步提升我们的睡眠质量呢？
Food or diet?
Several studies have narrowed in on certain suppers that could improve our sleep. Some small trials have found that tart cherry juice, for example, can help people sleep better, and others find that eating kiwifruit before bed is beneficial. There's also some research showing that warm milk can help us sleep. It is thought the high levels of tryptophan – from which the "sleep hormone" melatonin is synthesised by the body – in milk may help to induce sleep onset.
是“某种食物”还是“整体饮食”？
一些研究聚焦于某些晚餐可能有助于改善睡眠。例如，一些小型试验发现，酸樱桃汁可以帮助人们睡得更好；另一些研究则表明，睡前吃猕猴桃有益睡眠。还有一些研究显示，热牛奶有助于入睡。人们认为，牛奶中富含色氨酸（tryptophan），而人体正是利用色氨酸合成“睡眠激素”——褪黑素（melatonin）。
Melatonin regulates our sleep/ wake cycle. Our bodies produce more of it later in the day, when it starts to get dark. But we can also get melatonin directly from foods, including eggs, fish, nuts and seeds.
褪黑素调节我们的睡眠-觉醒周期。随着天色变暗，人体在傍晚时分会自然分泌更多褪黑素。但我们也可以直接从食物中摄取褪黑素，例如鸡蛋、鱼类、坚果和种子等。
Numerous studies have found that eating melatonin-rich foods can improve sleep quality, and help us sleep for longer. But there's also a lot of research to suggest that any one particular food or drink is not enough to improve sleep – and it's our overall diet that matters.
大量研究表明，摄入富含褪黑素的食物可以改善睡眠质量，并延长睡眠时间。然而，也有大量研究指出，单靠某一种食物或饮品并不足以显著改善睡眠——真正重要的是我们的整体饮食结构。
"You can't eat poorly all day long and think that it's enough to have a glass of tart cherry juice before bedtime," says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition in New York.
纽约哥伦比亚大学人类营养研究所营养医学教授玛丽-皮埃尔·圣昂日（Marie-Pierre St-Onge）表示：“你不可能整天胡吃海塞，然后以为睡前喝一杯酸樱桃汁就万事大吉了。”
This is because extracting the nutrients from food that the body can use to produce neurochemicals that promote sleep doesn't happen within a couple of hours, she says.
Instead, it's what we eat throughout the day that can improve sleep quality.
她解释说，这是因为身体从食物中提取用于合成促进睡眠神经化学物质的营养成分，并非短短几小时内就能完成的过程。真正影响睡眠质量的，是我们一整天所吃的食物。
What type of diet best promotes sleep?
Research shows that the most beneficial diet for sleep seems to be a plant-based diet that includes lots of wholegrains, dairy and lean proteins including fish, says Erica Jansen, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan in the US.
哪种饮食最有助于睡眠？
美国密歇根大学营养科学助理教授埃丽卡·詹森（Erica Jansen）表示，目前研究显示，最有利于睡眠的饮食是一种以植物性食物为主、包含大量全谷物、乳制品以及瘦肉蛋白（如鱼类）的饮食方式。
In her 2021 study looking at the relationship between sleep and diet, Jansen found that people who started eating more fruit and vegetables every day over a period of three months can dramatically improve their sleep.
在她2021年的一项研究中，詹森考察了饮食与睡眠之间的关系。她发现，如果人们连续三个月每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量，其睡眠状况会显著改善。
Low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia
More than 1,000 participants were tasked with increasing their daily intake of fruit and vegetables. This increase was to tease apart the two-way relationship between sleep and diet that besets research in this area – population studies could show people with healthier diets have better sleep, but there's always the chance they make better choices with food because they're better rested.
研究还发现，色氨酸摄入不足与睡眠时间缩短及失眠风险升高密切相关。
超过1000名参与者被要求每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量。这样做的目的是厘清睡眠与饮食之间复杂的双向关系——以往的人群研究虽然显示饮食更健康的人睡眠更好，但也有可能是因为他们本身睡眠充足，所以更容易做出健康的饮食选择。
Jansen found that women were more than twice as likely to experience an improvement in insomnia symptoms after eating an extra three or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
詹森发现，女性在每天额外摄入三份或更多蔬果后，失眠症状改善的可能性提高了两倍以上。
One reason for this is that fruit and vegetables (along with meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and legumes) are generally high in the essential amino acid tryptophan.
其中一个原因在于，水果和蔬菜（以及肉类、乳制品、坚果、种子、全谷物和豆类）通常富含一种必需氨基酸——色氨酸。
In a 2024 study in Spain, more than 11,000 students were asked about their sleep habits and diet. It found that the quartile that consumed the least tryptophan on a daily basis had significantly worse sleep outcomes. The researcher conclude that low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia. Eating foods containing more tryptophan may improve sleep quality, they suggest.
2024年西班牙一项针对11,000多名学生的研究也得出了类似结论：每日色氨酸摄入量最低的那组人，睡眠质量明显更差。研究人员总结称，低色氨酸摄入与睡眠时间短、失眠风险高密切相关，并建议通过摄入更多富含色氨酸的食物来改善睡眠质量。
The reason tryptophan is important, Jansen says, is because it's a precursor of serotonin, which then gets converted into melatonin.
"If the body doesn't have tryptophan, or direct sources of melatonin from food, the levels of melatonin produced by the body will be reduced," she says.
詹森解释，色氨酸之所以重要，是因为它是血清素（serotonin）的前体，而血清素随后会被转化为褪黑素。
“如果身体缺乏色氨酸，或者没有从食物中直接获取褪黑素，那么体内产生的褪黑素水平就会降低，”她说道。
But it isn't just as simple as eating tryptophan-rich foods, she adds. It needs to be eaten with a high-fibre carbohydrate, such as a wholegrain or legume. This allows it to be digested properly and make its way to the brain, from where it can improve sleep.
但她也补充说，事情并非那么简单——仅仅吃富含色氨酸的食物还不够。它还需要搭配高纤维碳水化合物（如全谷物或豆类）一起食用，这样才能被有效消化并顺利进入大脑，从而改善睡眠。
There are many other ways that a plant-rich diet may improve sleep, too. Diets high in plant foods are known to reduce inflammation in the body, for example, and some research suggests that lower levels of inflammation are associated with better sleep quality.
此外，富含植物性食物的饮食还能通过其他多种机制改善睡眠。例如，高植物性饮食已被证实可减少体内炎症，而一些研究也表明，较低的炎症水平与更好的睡眠质量相关。
In her research, has found that improved sleep is associated with diets high in fibre, which plays a crucial role in bacterial fermentation in our guts. Studies shows that there are numerous possible beneficial mechanisms that can explain why a healthy gut can improve sleep, via the gut-brain axis.
在她的研究中还发现，高纤维饮食与睡眠改善密切相关。纤维在肠道菌群发酵过程中起着关键作用，而越来越多的研究表明，健康的肠道可通过“肠-脑轴”机制改善睡眠。
Magnesium is another reason plant-rich diets may be conducive to a good night sleep
There are also animal studies showing a connection between improved sleep and intake of the beneficial plant compounds polyphenols. However, St-Onge says, it's difficult to uate this in human studies because databases showing the polyphenol content of different food – which would be used to measure how much a person consumes – can't be entirely accurate.
镁元素也是植物性饮食助眠的原因之一此外，动物实验也显示，摄入植物中的有益化合物——多酚（polyphenols）与睡眠改善有关。不过圣昂日指出，在人类研究中很难准确评估这一点，因为用于衡量人们多酚摄入量的食物数据库并不完全准确。
This is because the amount of polyphenols in food varies from crop to crop, year to year, depending on soil type, weather conditions and farming processes. This is the same for the amount of melatonin in plant-based foods, which also may differ depending on how and where it was grown.
这是因为不同作物、不同年份、不同土壤类型、气候条件和耕作方式都会影响食物中多酚的含量。植物性食物中的褪黑素含量同样存在这种差异。
How helpful is magnesium?
Magnesium is another nutrient found in plant-rich diets that may be conducive to a good night sleep. This is because it can help to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the nervous system.
镁元素对睡眠有帮助吗？
镁是另一种存在于植物性饮食中的营养素，也可能有助于良好睡眠。因为它能帮助降低压力激素皮质醇（cortisol）的水平，从而镇静神经系统。
It's recommended most adults over 30 consume around 420mg of magnesium per day. It can be found in many foods, including green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, as well as legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.
建议30岁以上的成年人每天摄入约420毫克镁。富含镁的食物包括绿叶蔬菜（如菠菜）、豆类、坚果、种子和全谷物。
However, many people are lacking this nutrient. Experts say this is partly because of the Western diet (low in plants, high in ultra-processed foods), and partly because intensive farming practices reduce the amount of magnesium in the soil crops grow in. (Learn more about how processed foods became so unhealthy.)
然而，许多人缺乏这种营养素。专家指出，部分原因是西方饮食（植物摄入少、超加工食品多），另一部分原因是集约化农业降低了土壤中的镁含量。（了解更多关于超加工食品为何如此不健康的信息。）
In her 2024 study, Heather Hausenblas, a professor of exercise science at Jacksonville University in Florida in the US, tested the effects of increased magnesium intake on people who reported being poor sleepers.
2024年，佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔大学运动科学教授希瑟·豪森布拉斯（Heather Hausenblas）对自称睡眠不佳的人群进行了镁补充剂效果测试。
For two weeks, they took magnesium supplements one hour before bed while during another two week period they took a placebo pill. Their sleep was measured through a body-worn tracker and they also reported on how well they felt they'd slept.
参与者在两周内每晚睡前一小时服用镁补充剂，另外两周则服用安慰剂。他们的睡眠情况通过可穿戴设备追踪，同时自我报告主观睡眠感受。
Hausenblas found that the participants' deep and REM sleep improved more when they took magnesium, compared to taking the placebo. She suspects this effect would last longer than two weeks, but she can't say for certain.
豪森布拉斯发现，与服用安慰剂相比，服用镁补充剂期间，参与者的深度睡眠和快速眼动（REM）睡眠均有明显改善。她推测这种效果可能会持续超过两周，但尚不能确定。
However, while she says a good quality magnesium supplement could help people sleep better, Hausenblas says it isn't a cure-all.
One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed – Erica Jansen
"Just taking this before bed won't cure you of all sleep issues if don't get outside and exercise, eat lots of ultra-processed food and if you don't have a consistent sleep-wake cycle," she says.
尽管如此，她强调，高质量的镁补充剂或许能帮助改善睡眠，但它并非万能药。
“如果你白天不运动、吃大量超加工食品、作息不规律，光靠睡前吃点镁并不能解决所有睡眠问题，”她说。
Another reason why magnesium could improve sleep is because of its potential benefits to mental health. Research has found that poor sleep and depression, for example, are closely connected.
另一个可能的原因是镁对心理健康的潜在益处。研究发现，睡眠障碍与抑郁症等心理健康问题密切相关。
One study from 2017 found that a daily magnesium supplement led to a significant improvement in depression and anxiety, regardless of the person's age, gender or the severity of their depression.
More widely, research also shows that a diet high in fruit and vegetables can improve symptoms of depression.
2017年的一项研究发现，无论年龄、性别或抑郁严重程度如何，每日补充镁都能显著改善抑郁和焦虑症状。
更广泛地说，研究还表明，高蔬果摄入的饮食也能改善抑郁症状。
Can how we eat have an effect?
While researchers agree that one carefully sexted supper isn't enough to save us from a night of bad sleep, there may be something we can do about the timing of our meals throughout the day.
进食方式是否也有影响？
虽然研究人员一致认为，一顿精心挑选的晚餐不足以扭转整晚的糟糕睡眠，但调整全天的进餐时间或许有所帮助。
"One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed," says Jansen.
詹森表示：“睡前几小时停止进食非常重要，尤其不要把一天中最大量的热量留到晚上吃。”
When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep – Erica Jansen
There is a small body of research suggesting that having meals earlier in the day, starting with breakfast, is associated with better sleep quality. Research suggests that eating your last meal closer to bedtime can increase the time it takes you to fall asleep.
当昼夜分明时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了——埃里卡·詹森
一些研究表明，早点进食，尤其是早餐，与更好的睡眠质量相关。研究还表明，临睡前吃最后一餐可能会延长入睡时间。
This may be partially because it makes it easier for us to associate eating with the daytime, and nighttime with sleeping, says Jansen.
"When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep," she says. "The brain starts fresh every morning, and light exposure early in the morning is important for resetting our body clock."
"Eating time cues are another way of telling our body what time it is," Jansen says. "The body feels functions best when we're doing the same things at the same time every day."
她解释说：“当你清晰地区分白天和黑夜时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了。”
“大脑每天清晨都会重新启动，而早晨接触阳光对重置生物钟至关重要。”
“进食时间也是一种向身体传递‘现在是什么时间’的信号，”詹森说，“当我们每天在固定时间做同样的事情时，身体机能会运行得最好。”
And when you do eat breakfast, bear in mind that one study found that eating a dairy-rich breakfast in bright daylight may be more beneficial to sleep than eating it in a dimly lit room. This is because, researchers say, eating in the daylight allows our bodies to produce more melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep at night.
此外，有一项研究发现，在明亮的日光下吃富含乳制品的早餐，比在昏暗环境中吃更有助于夜间睡眠。研究人员认为，这是因为白天光照有助于身体产生更多褪黑素——这种激素会在夜间帮助我们入睡。
However, St-Onge says, scientists haven't produced any definitive answers yet on whether melatonin we might obtain from plants influences the melatonin our bodies produce, and how this might influence our sleep.
不过，圣昂日指出，科学家尚未明确回答：从植物中摄取的褪黑素是否会影响人体自身产生的褪黑素，以及这种影响如何作用于睡眠。
"Also, is our metabolism impacted by what we eat? This could be relevant for sleep. We need to dig further into those mechanisms," she says.
“并且，我们的新陈代谢是否受饮食影响？这也可能与睡眠相关。我们需要更深入地研究这些机制，”她补充。
Jansen agrees that this is a difficult area of research, with several unanswered questions, including the amount of melatonin we need in our diets for it to have an effect on sleep.
"It's difficult to study whether light is a bigger influence on melatonin than diet, or if they work together," she says.
詹森也同意这是一个研究难度较大的领域，仍有许多未解之谜，比如饮食中需要多少褪黑素才能对睡眠产生实际影响。
“很难判断是光照对褪黑素的影响更大，还是饮食的影响更大，或者两者协同作用。”
Optimising our diet for sleep
It seems that a plant-rich diet is the most beneficial for sleep, for numerous reasons – and that eating at consistent times throughout the day – for those who can – may also help.
优化饮食以改善睡眠
综上所述，富含植物性食物的饮食似乎对睡眠最为有益，原因多种多样。此外，对于有条件的人来说，每天在固定时间进食也可能有所帮助。
But our diet doesn't exist in a vacuum, and researchers stress that our sleep is also influenced by how much we move in the day, our mental health, and our exposure to light and darkness.
Also, St-Onge says, it's important to distinguish between poor sleep, and a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnoea.
"If you have a sleep disorder, you need to get tested and treated," says St-Onge. "Part of the treatment plan could be improving your diet, but some people will need something in addition to that."
但饮食并非孤立存在。研究人员强调，我们的睡眠还受到白天活动量、心理健康状况以及光照与黑暗暴露等因素的影响。
此外，圣昂日提醒，必须区分“普通睡眠不佳”和“睡眠障碍”（如失眠症或睡眠呼吸暂停）。
“如果你患有睡眠障碍，就需要接受专业检查和治疗，”圣昂日强调，“改善饮食可能是治疗计划的一部分，但有些人还需要其他干预措施。”
评论翻译
Most of us know going to bed on a full stomach can affect our sleep. Changing what we eat and the time of day we eat certain foods can help us sleep better.
我们大多数人都知道，临睡前吃得太饱会影响睡眠。调整我们的饮食内容以及进食时间，有助于提升睡眠质量。
We've all woken up the morning after a large, late night meal feeling tired out. The extra energy required to digest big portions of rich food can eat into our kip, leading to a disturbed night's sleep.
我们都经历过：前一天晚上吃了大量、油腻的夜宵后，第二天早上醒来感觉疲惫不堪。这是因为消化大量高脂食物需要额外的能量，这会干扰我们的休息，导致整晚睡眠不安稳。
Thankfully, there are also ways we can try to improve our sleep through our diet by avoiding certain foods and drinks known to keep us awake, such as those containing caffeine. But can we also eat other foods – particularly before we go to bed – to boost the quality of our sleep further?
幸运的是，我们也可以通过饮食来改善睡眠——比如避免摄入那些已知会让人保持清醒的食物和饮品（如含咖啡因的饮料）。但除此之外，是否还有某些特定食物（尤其是在睡前食用）能进一步提升我们的睡眠质量呢？
Food or diet?
Several studies have narrowed in on certain suppers that could improve our sleep. Some small trials have found that tart cherry juice, for example, can help people sleep better, and others find that eating kiwifruit before bed is beneficial. There's also some research showing that warm milk can help us sleep. It is thought the high levels of tryptophan – from which the "sleep hormone" melatonin is synthesised by the body – in milk may help to induce sleep onset.
是“某种食物”还是“整体饮食”？
一些研究聚焦于某些晚餐可能有助于改善睡眠。例如，一些小型试验发现，酸樱桃汁可以帮助人们睡得更好；另一些研究则表明，睡前吃猕猴桃有益睡眠。还有一些研究显示，热牛奶有助于入睡。人们认为，牛奶中富含色氨酸（tryptophan），而人体正是利用色氨酸合成“睡眠激素”——褪黑素（melatonin）。
Melatonin regulates our sleep/ wake cycle. Our bodies produce more of it later in the day, when it starts to get dark. But we can also get melatonin directly from foods, including eggs, fish, nuts and seeds.
褪黑素调节我们的睡眠-觉醒周期。随着天色变暗，人体在傍晚时分会自然分泌更多褪黑素。但我们也可以直接从食物中摄取褪黑素，例如鸡蛋、鱼类、坚果和种子等。
Numerous studies have found that eating melatonin-rich foods can improve sleep quality, and help us sleep for longer. But there's also a lot of research to suggest that any one particular food or drink is not enough to improve sleep – and it's our overall diet that matters.
大量研究表明，摄入富含褪黑素的食物可以改善睡眠质量，并延长睡眠时间。然而，也有大量研究指出，单靠某一种食物或饮品并不足以显著改善睡眠——真正重要的是我们的整体饮食结构。
"You can't eat poorly all day long and think that it's enough to have a glass of tart cherry juice before bedtime," says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition in New York.
纽约哥伦比亚大学人类营养研究所营养医学教授玛丽-皮埃尔·圣昂日（Marie-Pierre St-Onge）表示：“你不可能整天胡吃海塞，然后以为睡前喝一杯酸樱桃汁就万事大吉了。”
This is because extracting the nutrients from food that the body can use to produce neurochemicals that promote sleep doesn't happen within a couple of hours, she says.
Instead, it's what we eat throughout the day that can improve sleep quality.
她解释说，这是因为身体从食物中提取用于合成促进睡眠神经化学物质的营养成分，并非短短几小时内就能完成的过程。真正影响睡眠质量的，是我们一整天所吃的食物。
What type of diet best promotes sleep?
Research shows that the most beneficial diet for sleep seems to be a plant-based diet that includes lots of wholegrains, dairy and lean proteins including fish, says Erica Jansen, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan in the US.
哪种饮食最有助于睡眠？
美国密歇根大学营养科学助理教授埃丽卡·詹森（Erica Jansen）表示，目前研究显示，最有利于睡眠的饮食是一种以植物性食物为主、包含大量全谷物、乳制品以及瘦肉蛋白（如鱼类）的饮食方式。
In her 2021 study looking at the relationship between sleep and diet, Jansen found that people who started eating more fruit and vegetables every day over a period of three months can dramatically improve their sleep.
在她2021年的一项研究中，詹森考察了饮食与睡眠之间的关系。她发现，如果人们连续三个月每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量，其睡眠状况会显著改善。
Low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia
More than 1,000 participants were tasked with increasing their daily intake of fruit and vegetables. This increase was to tease apart the two-way relationship between sleep and diet that besets research in this area – population studies could show people with healthier diets have better sleep, but there's always the chance they make better choices with food because they're better rested.
研究还发现，色氨酸摄入不足与睡眠时间缩短及失眠风险升高密切相关。
超过1000名参与者被要求每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量。这样做的目的是厘清睡眠与饮食之间复杂的双向关系——以往的人群研究虽然显示饮食更健康的人睡眠更好，但也有可能是因为他们本身睡眠充足，所以更容易做出健康的饮食选择。
Jansen found that women were more than twice as likely to experience an improvement in insomnia symptoms after eating an extra three or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
詹森发现，女性在每天额外摄入三份或更多蔬果后，失眠症状改善的可能性提高了两倍以上。
One reason for this is that fruit and vegetables (along with meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and legumes) are generally high in the essential amino acid tryptophan.
其中一个原因在于，水果和蔬菜（以及肉类、乳制品、坚果、种子、全谷物和豆类）通常富含一种必需氨基酸——色氨酸。
In a 2024 study in Spain, more than 11,000 students were asked about their sleep habits and diet. It found that the quartile that consumed the least tryptophan on a daily basis had significantly worse sleep outcomes. The researcher conclude that low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia. Eating foods containing more tryptophan may improve sleep quality, they suggest.
2024年西班牙一项针对11,000多名学生的研究也得出了类似结论：每日色氨酸摄入量最低的那组人，睡眠质量明显更差。研究人员总结称，低色氨酸摄入与睡眠时间短、失眠风险高密切相关，并建议通过摄入更多富含色氨酸的食物来改善睡眠质量。
The reason tryptophan is important, Jansen says, is because it's a precursor of serotonin, which then gets converted into melatonin.
"If the body doesn't have tryptophan, or direct sources of melatonin from food, the levels of melatonin produced by the body will be reduced," she says.
詹森解释，色氨酸之所以重要，是因为它是血清素（serotonin）的前体，而血清素随后会被转化为褪黑素。
“如果身体缺乏色氨酸，或者没有从食物中直接获取褪黑素，那么体内产生的褪黑素水平就会降低，”她说道。
But it isn't just as simple as eating tryptophan-rich foods, she adds. It needs to be eaten with a high-fibre carbohydrate, such as a wholegrain or legume. This allows it to be digested properly and make its way to the brain, from where it can improve sleep.
但她也补充说，事情并非那么简单——仅仅吃富含色氨酸的食物还不够。它还需要搭配高纤维碳水化合物（如全谷物或豆类）一起食用，这样才能被有效消化并顺利进入大脑，从而改善睡眠。
There are many other ways that a plant-rich diet may improve sleep, too. Diets high in plant foods are known to reduce inflammation in the body, for example, and some research suggests that lower levels of inflammation are associated with better sleep quality.
此外，富含植物性食物的饮食还能通过其他多种机制改善睡眠。例如，高植物性饮食已被证实可减少体内炎症，而一些研究也表明，较低的炎症水平与更好的睡眠质量相关。
In her research, has found that improved sleep is associated with diets high in fibre, which plays a crucial role in bacterial fermentation in our guts. Studies shows that there are numerous possible beneficial mechanisms that can explain why a healthy gut can improve sleep, via the gut-brain axis.
在她的研究中还发现，高纤维饮食与睡眠改善密切相关。纤维在肠道菌群发酵过程中起着关键作用，而越来越多的研究表明，健康的肠道可通过“肠-脑轴”机制改善睡眠。
Magnesium is another reason plant-rich diets may be conducive to a good night sleep
There are also animal studies showing a connection between improved sleep and intake of the beneficial plant compounds polyphenols. However, St-Onge says, it's difficult to uate this in human studies because databases showing the polyphenol content of different food – which would be used to measure how much a person consumes – can't be entirely accurate.
镁元素也是植物性饮食助眠的原因之一此外，动物实验也显示，摄入植物中的有益化合物——多酚（polyphenols）与睡眠改善有关。不过圣昂日指出，在人类研究中很难准确评估这一点，因为用于衡量人们多酚摄入量的食物数据库并不完全准确。
This is because the amount of polyphenols in food varies from crop to crop, year to year, depending on soil type, weather conditions and farming processes. This is the same for the amount of melatonin in plant-based foods, which also may differ depending on how and where it was grown.
这是因为不同作物、不同年份、不同土壤类型、气候条件和耕作方式都会影响食物中多酚的含量。植物性食物中的褪黑素含量同样存在这种差异。
How helpful is magnesium?
Magnesium is another nutrient found in plant-rich diets that may be conducive to a good night sleep. This is because it can help to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the nervous system.
镁元素对睡眠有帮助吗？
镁是另一种存在于植物性饮食中的营养素，也可能有助于良好睡眠。因为它能帮助降低压力激素皮质醇（cortisol）的水平，从而镇静神经系统。
It's recommended most adults over 30 consume around 420mg of magnesium per day. It can be found in many foods, including green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, as well as legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.
建议30岁以上的成年人每天摄入约420毫克镁。富含镁的食物包括绿叶蔬菜（如菠菜）、豆类、坚果、种子和全谷物。
However, many people are lacking this nutrient. Experts say this is partly because of the Western diet (low in plants, high in ultra-processed foods), and partly because intensive farming practices reduce the amount of magnesium in the soil crops grow in. (Learn more about how processed foods became so unhealthy.)
然而，许多人缺乏这种营养素。专家指出，部分原因是西方饮食（植物摄入少、超加工食品多），另一部分原因是集约化农业降低了土壤中的镁含量。（了解更多关于超加工食品为何如此不健康的信息。）
In her 2024 study, Heather Hausenblas, a professor of exercise science at Jacksonville University in Florida in the US, tested the effects of increased magnesium intake on people who reported being poor sleepers.
2024年，佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔大学运动科学教授希瑟·豪森布拉斯（Heather Hausenblas）对自称睡眠不佳的人群进行了镁补充剂效果测试。
For two weeks, they took magnesium supplements one hour before bed while during another two week period they took a placebo pill. Their sleep was measured through a body-worn tracker and they also reported on how well they felt they'd slept.
参与者在两周内每晚睡前一小时服用镁补充剂，另外两周则服用安慰剂。他们的睡眠情况通过可穿戴设备追踪，同时自我报告主观睡眠感受。
Hausenblas found that the participants' deep and REM sleep improved more when they took magnesium, compared to taking the placebo. She suspects this effect would last longer than two weeks, but she can't say for certain.
豪森布拉斯发现，与服用安慰剂相比，服用镁补充剂期间，参与者的深度睡眠和快速眼动（REM）睡眠均有明显改善。她推测这种效果可能会持续超过两周，但尚不能确定。
However, while she says a good quality magnesium supplement could help people sleep better, Hausenblas says it isn't a cure-all.
One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed – Erica Jansen
"Just taking this before bed won't cure you of all sleep issues if don't get outside and exercise, eat lots of ultra-processed food and if you don't have a consistent sleep-wake cycle," she says.
尽管如此，她强调，高质量的镁补充剂或许能帮助改善睡眠，但它并非万能药。
“如果你白天不运动、吃大量超加工食品、作息不规律，光靠睡前吃点镁并不能解决所有睡眠问题，”她说。
Another reason why magnesium could improve sleep is because of its potential benefits to mental health. Research has found that poor sleep and depression, for example, are closely connected.
另一个可能的原因是镁对心理健康的潜在益处。研究发现，睡眠障碍与抑郁症等心理健康问题密切相关。
One study from 2017 found that a daily magnesium supplement led to a significant improvement in depression and anxiety, regardless of the person's age, gender or the severity of their depression.
More widely, research also shows that a diet high in fruit and vegetables can improve symptoms of depression.
2017年的一项研究发现，无论年龄、性别或抑郁严重程度如何，每日补充镁都能显著改善抑郁和焦虑症状。
更广泛地说，研究还表明，高蔬果摄入的饮食也能改善抑郁症状。
Can how we eat have an effect?
While researchers agree that one carefully sexted supper isn't enough to save us from a night of bad sleep, there may be something we can do about the timing of our meals throughout the day.
进食方式是否也有影响？
虽然研究人员一致认为，一顿精心挑选的晚餐不足以扭转整晚的糟糕睡眠，但调整全天的进餐时间或许有所帮助。
"One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed," says Jansen.
詹森表示：“睡前几小时停止进食非常重要，尤其不要把一天中最大量的热量留到晚上吃。”
When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep – Erica Jansen
There is a small body of research suggesting that having meals earlier in the day, starting with breakfast, is associated with better sleep quality. Research suggests that eating your last meal closer to bedtime can increase the time it takes you to fall asleep.
当昼夜分明时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了——埃里卡·詹森
一些研究表明，早点进食，尤其是早餐，与更好的睡眠质量相关。研究还表明，临睡前吃最后一餐可能会延长入睡时间。
This may be partially because it makes it easier for us to associate eating with the daytime, and nighttime with sleeping, says Jansen.
"When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep," she says. "The brain starts fresh every morning, and light exposure early in the morning is important for resetting our body clock."
"Eating time cues are another way of telling our body what time it is," Jansen says. "The body feels functions best when we're doing the same things at the same time every day."
她解释说：“当你清晰地区分白天和黑夜时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了。”
“大脑每天清晨都会重新启动，而早晨接触阳光对重置生物钟至关重要。”
“进食时间也是一种向身体传递‘现在是什么时间’的信号，”詹森说，“当我们每天在固定时间做同样的事情时，身体机能会运行得最好。”
And when you do eat breakfast, bear in mind that one study found that eating a dairy-rich breakfast in bright daylight may be more beneficial to sleep than eating it in a dimly lit room. This is because, researchers say, eating in the daylight allows our bodies to produce more melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep at night.
此外，有一项研究发现，在明亮的日光下吃富含乳制品的早餐，比在昏暗环境中吃更有助于夜间睡眠。研究人员认为，这是因为白天光照有助于身体产生更多褪黑素——这种激素会在夜间帮助我们入睡。
However, St-Onge says, scientists haven't produced any definitive answers yet on whether melatonin we might obtain from plants influences the melatonin our bodies produce, and how this might influence our sleep.
不过，圣昂日指出，科学家尚未明确回答：从植物中摄取的褪黑素是否会影响人体自身产生的褪黑素，以及这种影响如何作用于睡眠。
"Also, is our metabolism impacted by what we eat? This could be relevant for sleep. We need to dig further into those mechanisms," she says.
“并且，我们的新陈代谢是否受饮食影响？这也可能与睡眠相关。我们需要更深入地研究这些机制，”她补充。
Jansen agrees that this is a difficult area of research, with several unanswered questions, including the amount of melatonin we need in our diets for it to have an effect on sleep.
"It's difficult to study whether light is a bigger influence on melatonin than diet, or if they work together," she says.
詹森也同意这是一个研究难度较大的领域，仍有许多未解之谜，比如饮食中需要多少褪黑素才能对睡眠产生实际影响。
“很难判断是光照对褪黑素的影响更大，还是饮食的影响更大，或者两者协同作用。”
Optimising our diet for sleep
It seems that a plant-rich diet is the most beneficial for sleep, for numerous reasons – and that eating at consistent times throughout the day – for those who can – may also help.
优化饮食以改善睡眠
综上所述，富含植物性食物的饮食似乎对睡眠最为有益，原因多种多样。此外，对于有条件的人来说，每天在固定时间进食也可能有所帮助。
But our diet doesn't exist in a vacuum, and researchers stress that our sleep is also influenced by how much we move in the day, our mental health, and our exposure to light and darkness.
Also, St-Onge says, it's important to distinguish between poor sleep, and a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnoea.
"If you have a sleep disorder, you need to get tested and treated," says St-Onge. "Part of the treatment plan could be improving your diet, but some people will need something in addition to that."
但饮食并非孤立存在。研究人员强调，我们的睡眠还受到白天活动量、心理健康状况以及光照与黑暗暴露等因素的影响。
此外，圣昂日提醒，必须区分“普通睡眠不佳”和“睡眠障碍”（如失眠症或睡眠呼吸暂停）。
“如果你患有睡眠障碍，就需要接受专业检查和治疗，”圣昂日强调，“改善饮食可能是治疗计划的一部分，但有些人还需要其他干预措施。”
Most of us know going to bed on a full stomach can affect our sleep. Changing what we eat and the time of day we eat certain foods can help us sleep better.
我们大多数人都知道，临睡前吃得太饱会影响睡眠。调整我们的饮食内容以及进食时间，有助于提升睡眠质量。
We've all woken up the morning after a large, late night meal feeling tired out. The extra energy required to digest big portions of rich food can eat into our kip, leading to a disturbed night's sleep.
我们都经历过：前一天晚上吃了大量、油腻的夜宵后，第二天早上醒来感觉疲惫不堪。这是因为消化大量高脂食物需要额外的能量，这会干扰我们的休息，导致整晚睡眠不安稳。
Thankfully, there are also ways we can try to improve our sleep through our diet by avoiding certain foods and drinks known to keep us awake, such as those containing caffeine. But can we also eat other foods – particularly before we go to bed – to boost the quality of our sleep further?
幸运的是，我们也可以通过饮食来改善睡眠——比如避免摄入那些已知会让人保持清醒的食物和饮品（如含咖啡因的饮料）。但除此之外，是否还有某些特定食物（尤其是在睡前食用）能进一步提升我们的睡眠质量呢？
Food or diet?
Several studies have narrowed in on certain suppers that could improve our sleep. Some small trials have found that tart cherry juice, for example, can help people sleep better, and others find that eating kiwifruit before bed is beneficial. There's also some research showing that warm milk can help us sleep. It is thought the high levels of tryptophan – from which the "sleep hormone" melatonin is synthesised by the body – in milk may help to induce sleep onset.
是“某种食物”还是“整体饮食”？
一些研究聚焦于某些晚餐可能有助于改善睡眠。例如，一些小型试验发现，酸樱桃汁可以帮助人们睡得更好；另一些研究则表明，睡前吃猕猴桃有益睡眠。还有一些研究显示，热牛奶有助于入睡。人们认为，牛奶中富含色氨酸（tryptophan），而人体正是利用色氨酸合成“睡眠激素”——褪黑素（melatonin）。
Melatonin regulates our sleep/ wake cycle. Our bodies produce more of it later in the day, when it starts to get dark. But we can also get melatonin directly from foods, including eggs, fish, nuts and seeds.
褪黑素调节我们的睡眠-觉醒周期。随着天色变暗，人体在傍晚时分会自然分泌更多褪黑素。但我们也可以直接从食物中摄取褪黑素，例如鸡蛋、鱼类、坚果和种子等。
Numerous studies have found that eating melatonin-rich foods can improve sleep quality, and help us sleep for longer. But there's also a lot of research to suggest that any one particular food or drink is not enough to improve sleep – and it's our overall diet that matters.
大量研究表明，摄入富含褪黑素的食物可以改善睡眠质量，并延长睡眠时间。然而，也有大量研究指出，单靠某一种食物或饮品并不足以显著改善睡眠——真正重要的是我们的整体饮食结构。
"You can't eat poorly all day long and think that it's enough to have a glass of tart cherry juice before bedtime," says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition in New York.
纽约哥伦比亚大学人类营养研究所营养医学教授玛丽-皮埃尔·圣昂日（Marie-Pierre St-Onge）表示：“你不可能整天胡吃海塞，然后以为睡前喝一杯酸樱桃汁就万事大吉了。”
This is because extracting the nutrients from food that the body can use to produce neurochemicals that promote sleep doesn't happen within a couple of hours, she says.
Instead, it's what we eat throughout the day that can improve sleep quality.
她解释说，这是因为身体从食物中提取用于合成促进睡眠神经化学物质的营养成分，并非短短几小时内就能完成的过程。真正影响睡眠质量的，是我们一整天所吃的食物。
What type of diet best promotes sleep?
Research shows that the most beneficial diet for sleep seems to be a plant-based diet that includes lots of wholegrains, dairy and lean proteins including fish, says Erica Jansen, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan in the US.
哪种饮食最有助于睡眠？
美国密歇根大学营养科学助理教授埃丽卡·詹森（Erica Jansen）表示，目前研究显示，最有利于睡眠的饮食是一种以植物性食物为主、包含大量全谷物、乳制品以及瘦肉蛋白（如鱼类）的饮食方式。
In her 2021 study looking at the relationship between sleep and diet, Jansen found that people who started eating more fruit and vegetables every day over a period of three months can dramatically improve their sleep.
在她2021年的一项研究中，詹森考察了饮食与睡眠之间的关系。她发现，如果人们连续三个月每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量，其睡眠状况会显著改善。
Low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia
More than 1,000 participants were tasked with increasing their daily intake of fruit and vegetables. This increase was to tease apart the two-way relationship between sleep and diet that besets research in this area – population studies could show people with healthier diets have better sleep, but there's always the chance they make better choices with food because they're better rested.
研究还发现，色氨酸摄入不足与睡眠时间缩短及失眠风险升高密切相关。
超过1000名参与者被要求每天增加水果和蔬菜的摄入量。这样做的目的是厘清睡眠与饮食之间复杂的双向关系——以往的人群研究虽然显示饮食更健康的人睡眠更好，但也有可能是因为他们本身睡眠充足，所以更容易做出健康的饮食选择。
Jansen found that women were more than twice as likely to experience an improvement in insomnia symptoms after eating an extra three or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
詹森发现，女性在每天额外摄入三份或更多蔬果后，失眠症状改善的可能性提高了两倍以上。
One reason for this is that fruit and vegetables (along with meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and legumes) are generally high in the essential amino acid tryptophan.
其中一个原因在于，水果和蔬菜（以及肉类、乳制品、坚果、种子、全谷物和豆类）通常富含一种必需氨基酸——色氨酸。
In a 2024 study in Spain, more than 11,000 students were asked about their sleep habits and diet. It found that the quartile that consumed the least tryptophan on a daily basis had significantly worse sleep outcomes. The researcher conclude that low tryptophan intake was lixed to a higher risk of short sleep duration and greater risk of insomnia. Eating foods containing more tryptophan may improve sleep quality, they suggest.
2024年西班牙一项针对11,000多名学生的研究也得出了类似结论：每日色氨酸摄入量最低的那组人，睡眠质量明显更差。研究人员总结称，低色氨酸摄入与睡眠时间短、失眠风险高密切相关，并建议通过摄入更多富含色氨酸的食物来改善睡眠质量。
The reason tryptophan is important, Jansen says, is because it's a precursor of serotonin, which then gets converted into melatonin.
"If the body doesn't have tryptophan, or direct sources of melatonin from food, the levels of melatonin produced by the body will be reduced," she says.
詹森解释，色氨酸之所以重要，是因为它是血清素（serotonin）的前体，而血清素随后会被转化为褪黑素。
“如果身体缺乏色氨酸，或者没有从食物中直接获取褪黑素，那么体内产生的褪黑素水平就会降低，”她说道。
But it isn't just as simple as eating tryptophan-rich foods, she adds. It needs to be eaten with a high-fibre carbohydrate, such as a wholegrain or legume. This allows it to be digested properly and make its way to the brain, from where it can improve sleep.
但她也补充说，事情并非那么简单——仅仅吃富含色氨酸的食物还不够。它还需要搭配高纤维碳水化合物（如全谷物或豆类）一起食用，这样才能被有效消化并顺利进入大脑，从而改善睡眠。
There are many other ways that a plant-rich diet may improve sleep, too. Diets high in plant foods are known to reduce inflammation in the body, for example, and some research suggests that lower levels of inflammation are associated with better sleep quality.
此外，富含植物性食物的饮食还能通过其他多种机制改善睡眠。例如，高植物性饮食已被证实可减少体内炎症，而一些研究也表明，较低的炎症水平与更好的睡眠质量相关。
In her research, has found that improved sleep is associated with diets high in fibre, which plays a crucial role in bacterial fermentation in our guts. Studies shows that there are numerous possible beneficial mechanisms that can explain why a healthy gut can improve sleep, via the gut-brain axis.
在她的研究中还发现，高纤维饮食与睡眠改善密切相关。纤维在肠道菌群发酵过程中起着关键作用，而越来越多的研究表明，健康的肠道可通过“肠-脑轴”机制改善睡眠。
Magnesium is another reason plant-rich diets may be conducive to a good night sleep
There are also animal studies showing a connection between improved sleep and intake of the beneficial plant compounds polyphenols. However, St-Onge says, it's difficult to uate this in human studies because databases showing the polyphenol content of different food – which would be used to measure how much a person consumes – can't be entirely accurate.
镁元素也是植物性饮食助眠的原因之一此外，动物实验也显示，摄入植物中的有益化合物——多酚（polyphenols）与睡眠改善有关。不过圣昂日指出，在人类研究中很难准确评估这一点，因为用于衡量人们多酚摄入量的食物数据库并不完全准确。
This is because the amount of polyphenols in food varies from crop to crop, year to year, depending on soil type, weather conditions and farming processes. This is the same for the amount of melatonin in plant-based foods, which also may differ depending on how and where it was grown.
这是因为不同作物、不同年份、不同土壤类型、气候条件和耕作方式都会影响食物中多酚的含量。植物性食物中的褪黑素含量同样存在这种差异。
How helpful is magnesium?
Magnesium is another nutrient found in plant-rich diets that may be conducive to a good night sleep. This is because it can help to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the nervous system.
镁元素对睡眠有帮助吗？
镁是另一种存在于植物性饮食中的营养素，也可能有助于良好睡眠。因为它能帮助降低压力激素皮质醇（cortisol）的水平，从而镇静神经系统。
It's recommended most adults over 30 consume around 420mg of magnesium per day. It can be found in many foods, including green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, as well as legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.
建议30岁以上的成年人每天摄入约420毫克镁。富含镁的食物包括绿叶蔬菜（如菠菜）、豆类、坚果、种子和全谷物。
However, many people are lacking this nutrient. Experts say this is partly because of the Western diet (low in plants, high in ultra-processed foods), and partly because intensive farming practices reduce the amount of magnesium in the soil crops grow in. (Learn more about how processed foods became so unhealthy.)
然而，许多人缺乏这种营养素。专家指出，部分原因是西方饮食（植物摄入少、超加工食品多），另一部分原因是集约化农业降低了土壤中的镁含量。（了解更多关于超加工食品为何如此不健康的信息。）
In her 2024 study, Heather Hausenblas, a professor of exercise science at Jacksonville University in Florida in the US, tested the effects of increased magnesium intake on people who reported being poor sleepers.
2024年，佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔大学运动科学教授希瑟·豪森布拉斯（Heather Hausenblas）对自称睡眠不佳的人群进行了镁补充剂效果测试。
For two weeks, they took magnesium supplements one hour before bed while during another two week period they took a placebo pill. Their sleep was measured through a body-worn tracker and they also reported on how well they felt they'd slept.
参与者在两周内每晚睡前一小时服用镁补充剂，另外两周则服用安慰剂。他们的睡眠情况通过可穿戴设备追踪，同时自我报告主观睡眠感受。
Hausenblas found that the participants' deep and REM sleep improved more when they took magnesium, compared to taking the placebo. She suspects this effect would last longer than two weeks, but she can't say for certain.
豪森布拉斯发现，与服用安慰剂相比，服用镁补充剂期间，参与者的深度睡眠和快速眼动（REM）睡眠均有明显改善。她推测这种效果可能会持续超过两周，但尚不能确定。
However, while she says a good quality magnesium supplement could help people sleep better, Hausenblas says it isn't a cure-all.
One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed – Erica Jansen
"Just taking this before bed won't cure you of all sleep issues if don't get outside and exercise, eat lots of ultra-processed food and if you don't have a consistent sleep-wake cycle," she says.
尽管如此，她强调，高质量的镁补充剂或许能帮助改善睡眠，但它并非万能药。
“如果你白天不运动、吃大量超加工食品、作息不规律，光靠睡前吃点镁并不能解决所有睡眠问题，”她说。
Another reason why magnesium could improve sleep is because of its potential benefits to mental health. Research has found that poor sleep and depression, for example, are closely connected.
另一个可能的原因是镁对心理健康的潜在益处。研究发现，睡眠障碍与抑郁症等心理健康问题密切相关。
One study from 2017 found that a daily magnesium supplement led to a significant improvement in depression and anxiety, regardless of the person's age, gender or the severity of their depression.
More widely, research also shows that a diet high in fruit and vegetables can improve symptoms of depression.
2017年的一项研究发现，无论年龄、性别或抑郁严重程度如何，每日补充镁都能显著改善抑郁和焦虑症状。
更广泛地说，研究还表明，高蔬果摄入的饮食也能改善抑郁症状。
Can how we eat have an effect?
While researchers agree that one carefully sexted supper isn't enough to save us from a night of bad sleep, there may be something we can do about the timing of our meals throughout the day.
进食方式是否也有影响？
虽然研究人员一致认为，一顿精心挑选的晚餐不足以扭转整晚的糟糕睡眠，但调整全天的进餐时间或许有所帮助。
"One of the most important things before sleep is to stop eating a few hours before bed, especially not having the biggest bulk of calories before bed," says Jansen.
詹森表示：“睡前几小时停止进食非常重要，尤其不要把一天中最大量的热量留到晚上吃。”
When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep – Erica Jansen
There is a small body of research suggesting that having meals earlier in the day, starting with breakfast, is associated with better sleep quality. Research suggests that eating your last meal closer to bedtime can increase the time it takes you to fall asleep.
当昼夜分明时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了——埃里卡·詹森
一些研究表明，早点进食，尤其是早餐，与更好的睡眠质量相关。研究还表明，临睡前吃最后一餐可能会延长入睡时间。
This may be partially because it makes it easier for us to associate eating with the daytime, and nighttime with sleeping, says Jansen.
"When you have a clearer separation between day and night, the brain has an easier time recognising that it's time for sleep," she says. "The brain starts fresh every morning, and light exposure early in the morning is important for resetting our body clock."
"Eating time cues are another way of telling our body what time it is," Jansen says. "The body feels functions best when we're doing the same things at the same time every day."
她解释说：“当你清晰地区分白天和黑夜时，大脑更容易意识到该睡觉了。”
“大脑每天清晨都会重新启动，而早晨接触阳光对重置生物钟至关重要。”
“进食时间也是一种向身体传递‘现在是什么时间’的信号，”詹森说，“当我们每天在固定时间做同样的事情时，身体机能会运行得最好。”
And when you do eat breakfast, bear in mind that one study found that eating a dairy-rich breakfast in bright daylight may be more beneficial to sleep than eating it in a dimly lit room. This is because, researchers say, eating in the daylight allows our bodies to produce more melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep at night.
此外，有一项研究发现，在明亮的日光下吃富含乳制品的早餐，比在昏暗环境中吃更有助于夜间睡眠。研究人员认为，这是因为白天光照有助于身体产生更多褪黑素——这种激素会在夜间帮助我们入睡。
However, St-Onge says, scientists haven't produced any definitive answers yet on whether melatonin we might obtain from plants influences the melatonin our bodies produce, and how this might influence our sleep.
不过，圣昂日指出，科学家尚未明确回答：从植物中摄取的褪黑素是否会影响人体自身产生的褪黑素，以及这种影响如何作用于睡眠。
"Also, is our metabolism impacted by what we eat? This could be relevant for sleep. We need to dig further into those mechanisms," she says.
“并且，我们的新陈代谢是否受饮食影响？这也可能与睡眠相关。我们需要更深入地研究这些机制，”她补充。
Jansen agrees that this is a difficult area of research, with several unanswered questions, including the amount of melatonin we need in our diets for it to have an effect on sleep.
"It's difficult to study whether light is a bigger influence on melatonin than diet, or if they work together," she says.
詹森也同意这是一个研究难度较大的领域，仍有许多未解之谜，比如饮食中需要多少褪黑素才能对睡眠产生实际影响。
“很难判断是光照对褪黑素的影响更大，还是饮食的影响更大，或者两者协同作用。”
Optimising our diet for sleep
It seems that a plant-rich diet is the most beneficial for sleep, for numerous reasons – and that eating at consistent times throughout the day – for those who can – may also help.
优化饮食以改善睡眠
综上所述，富含植物性食物的饮食似乎对睡眠最为有益，原因多种多样。此外，对于有条件的人来说，每天在固定时间进食也可能有所帮助。
But our diet doesn't exist in a vacuum, and researchers stress that our sleep is also influenced by how much we move in the day, our mental health, and our exposure to light and darkness.
Also, St-Onge says, it's important to distinguish between poor sleep, and a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnoea.
"If you have a sleep disorder, you need to get tested and treated," says St-Onge. "Part of the treatment plan could be improving your diet, but some people will need something in addition to that."
但饮食并非孤立存在。研究人员强调，我们的睡眠还受到白天活动量、心理健康状况以及光照与黑暗暴露等因素的影响。
此外，圣昂日提醒，必须区分“普通睡眠不佳”和“睡眠障碍”（如失眠症或睡眠呼吸暂停）。
“如果你患有睡眠障碍，就需要接受专业检查和治疗，”圣昂日强调，“改善饮食可能是治疗计划的一部分，但有些人还需要其他干预措施。”
很赞 6
收藏