Eating almonds daily may improve sleep quality: Study

Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, the study followed 175 adults aged 21 to 55 who reported poor sleep quality. Participants were given either 60g of almonds — about 50 almonds — or calorie-matched snacks including khakra, chivda and crackers for 20 weeks.

Those who ate almonds reported better overall sleep quality, improved sleep efficiency and less time taken to fall asleep compared with participants who ate the other snacks.

Researchers also found some evidence of reduced wakefulness during the night, although these results were not statistically significant across all participants.

Almonds contain nutrients including magnesium and tryptophan, which are involved in normal nervous system function. They also provide unsaturated fats, antioxidants and small amounts of melatonin.

Nutrition and wellness consultant Sheela Krishnaswamy said the findings suggested that diet could play a role in supporting sleep as part of a healthy lifestyle. She said the results were encouraging but added that further research was needed to assess the effect of almonds on objective measures of sleep.

The study was funded by the Almond Board of California.