"Greater Impact on Women Than Men"... The 'Diet Trap' That Causes Sleepless Nights and Suffering

Dieting by Simply Fasting Backfires for Restful Sleep
29% Lower Risk of Sleep Deprivation with Balanced Intake and Expenditure

A new study has found that women’s quality sleep is affected not only by general sleep habits but also by the balance between the calories consumed throughout the day and those burned through physical activity. The analysis suggests that dieting by simply reducing food intake or only increasing exercise may actually lead to sleep deprivation.

According to Seoul National University Hospital on May 19, a joint research team led by Professor Park Minseon of the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital and Professor Seo Minjeong of the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul Metropolitan Boramae Hospital, analyzed the relationship between energy intake-expenditure balance (EIEB) and sleep duration in 13,164 adults who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

The researchers calculated the ‘energy intake-expenditure balance’ by subtracting the amount of energy consumed through basal metabolism and physical activity from the total daily energy intake. A value closer to zero indicates that the calories consumed and burned are nearly equal. A negative value means insufficient intake, while a positive value means excessive intake.

Caloric Balance More Important Than Fasting

The analysis revealed a significant association between energy balance and sleep duration among women. Compared to the group with the most severe energy deficit (the lowest quartile), the group with a more balanced intake and expenditure (the second quartile) had a 29% lower risk of short sleep. In this study, short sleep was defined as sleeping six hours or less per night.

The third quartile group, which had a caloric surplus, and the fourth quartile group, which had excessive intake, also had a 25% and 24% lower risk of short sleep, respectively, compared to the lowest quartile group. However, the beneficial effect on sleep was greater in the second quartile (balanced group) than in the fourth quartile (highest intake group).

This means that sleeping well is not about eating more, but about consuming an appropriate amount of energy relative to one’s activity level. The research team explained that dieting by simply eating less or only increasing exercise may actually disrupt women’s sleep.

Greater Impact on Women’s Sleep Than Men’s

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On the other hand, no such association was observed in men. The researchers pointed to sex differences in the neuroendocrine-immune regulatory process as the reason why these results were seen only in women.

The body uses about 400 kilocalories during sleep to activate immune cells and regulate inflammation. When energy is severely lacking, the HPA axis, which is associated with the stress response, may become activated and interfere with restful sleep.

Women are known to be more sensitive to metabolic and immune-related hormonal changes, including the stress hormone cortisol and the appetite-regulating hormone leptin. The researchers concluded that when there is a lack of energy required for nighttime recovery, women’s sleep may be more adversely affected than men’s.

Professor Park said, “This study confirms that dieting by simply eating less or only increasing exercise can actually harm sleep. For women, maintaining a balanced diet that matches their activity level is a key factor for quality sleep.”

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