David Crawford MD: Older women should avoid these foods for a good night’s sleep


According to psychiatrist David Crawford, insomnia does not just affect younger people in their 20s and 30s – even older women can suffer from it, and there are certain foods that make them more prone to it. Recent studies have shown that older women who consume a large amount of sweets and processed grains may be more likely to suffer from insomnia than those who do not consume a lot of these foods.

The research, which was participated in by over 50,000 women in their mid-60s who have already gone through menopause, examined data from the participants’ food diaries and found that women with the highest dietary glycemic index scores, or those who consumed more refined carbohydrates such as white bread, sweets, and sugary soda, were 11% more likely than women with lower scores to report to have insomnia by the end of the study period. Researchers also take into account that they are past menopausal stage, a transition that is also associated with an increased risk of sleep problems and insomnia.

When your blood sugar is raised drastically, your body reacts by releasing insulin. The resulting drop in blood sugar then leads to the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which both interfere with sleep. The study also reveals that there is a huge possibility that chronic insomnia contributed to the cravings for carbs and sweets, instead of women developing insomnia as a result of eating too much sugar and refined grains.

David Crawford MD recommends a diet that includes a high amount of vegetables, fiber, and whole fruit (not juice, as it takes several pieces of fruit to produce a glass of juice, making it very high in sugar), as women with this diet are less likely to have or develop problems with insomnia.  Consuming a piece of fruit is better than juicing, he says, because even if fruit does contain sugar, it also has fiber, which aids in digestion.

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