Eating for Better Sleep & Foods that Improve Metabolic Health | Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge

Andrew Huberman and Marie-Pierre St-Onge discuss how sleep and nutrition form a powerful, bidirectional relationship that impacts overall health. Poor sleep leads to unhealthier food choices, which in turn further disrupt sleep, creating a vicious cycle. Alternatively, getting great sleep encourages better dietary choices, which can then improve sleep quality, perpetuating a cycle of improved health.

Sleep Deprivation Increases Caloric Intake Differently In Men and Women

Even modest sleep deprivation can increase hunger, but does so through different mechanisms in men and women. In men, short sleep raises levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, making them feel hungrier. Studies consistently show that when men are restricted to four hours of sleep per night, their appetite signals increase due to elevated ghrelin.

In women, insufficient sleep lowers levels of GLP-1, a peptide that suppresses hunger. This reduction removes the biological “brake” on eating, making it easier to overconsume. Experimental research demonstrates that when sleep is restricted, women’s satiety signals decrease, setting the stage for overeating.

Across both sexes, these chronic hormonal changes associated with sleep restriction result in a daily increase of 250 to 400 calories consumed. Accumulating an extra 300 calories each day translates to a meaningful weight gain over time—without any change in physical activity or diet quality. For instance, a two-week study of sleep restriction (five hours per night versus seven and a half hours) showed participants gained about half a kilogram, illustrating how chronic sleep loss contributes to gradual weight gain.

Sleep Loss Sparks Reward Centers, Boosts Impulsive Eating Choices

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just alter hormones but also rewires the brain’s response to food. Both Huberman and St-Onge note that sleep loss heightens activation in neural reward centers, making energy-dense, palatable foods even more appealing. This shift can result in increased cravings and impulsive decisions, especially for foods high in fat, sugar, and starch.

Fatigue from poor sleep reduces willpower, making it harder to resist temptations and to carefully select healthier options. Research evaluating neuronal responses shows significant upregulation in reward-related brain activity in response to food cues after sleep restriction. The resulting behavioral pattern is a strong drive for comfort and pleasure foods, overriding rational dietary restraint.

1.5-hour Sleep Loss Worsens Metabolism Without Behavioral Changes

Even a modest, chronic reduction in sleep—such as losing just 1.5 hours per night—negatively impacts metabolic health, even if food choices remain the same. Marie-Pierre St-Onge describes research in which participants with six weeks of such mild sleep restriction developed increased [restricted term] resistance and lower [restricted term] sensitivity. These effects were more severe in postmenopausal women compared to premenopausal women.

Furthermore, mild chronic sleep loss leads to higher blood pressure, worsening overall cardiometabolic health. These metabolic disturbances build over time, similar to the incremental effects of long-term small caloric excesses, and are maintained by many in real-world conditions—such as night shift workers, new parents, caregivers, or students during exam season.

Dietary Timing and Choices Affect Sleep Quality and Restoration

What and when you eat also feeds back on sleep quality. Studies show that higher fiber intake promotes more restorative slow-wave sleep, whereas diets high in saturated fat reduce the duration of deep sleep. Greater consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars leads to more frequent sleep arousals—shifting sleepers from deep to light ...

Research by Marie-Pierre St-Onge highlights striking sex-specific differences in the metabolic effects of sleep deprivation, emphasizing the need for tailored sleep advice and a more nuanced clinical approach for men and women.

Different Pathways: Men and Women's Response to Sleep Loss

Early studies on the metabolic effects of sleep deprivation focused almost exclusively on men. These studies showed that sleep restriction increased ghrelin (a hunger hormone) and reduced leptin (a satiety hormone). However, when St-Onge and colleagues conducted sleep studies with both men and women and analyzed all participants together, they found no overall effect on ghrelin or leptin. This finding initially puzzled researchers. Upon closer analysis by sex, they discovered that the expected increase in ghrelin with sleep loss was present only in men and absent in women. The opposite responses in men and women effectively nullified any overall group result. This revelation only emerged when they performed sex-based data analysis, exposing how single-sex, male-characterized research had previously obscured significant differences.

These sex-specific responses have important implications. Different physiological pathways in men and women mean that advice about sleep, metabolic health, and nutrition needs to be personalized based on sex. Optimal sleep duration for healthy aging also appears to differ slightly, with some organs showing a more pronounced U-shaped response curve in men and others in women. For women, the optimal range may be slightly longer than for men.

Women Are More Sensitive to Sleep Deprivation's Cardiometabolic Impacts Than Men

Studies indicate that women are more vulnerable than men to the negative cardiometabolic effects of insufficient sleep. St-Onge describes that in cases of mild, sustained sleep restriction, postmenopausal women exhibit greater increases in blood pressure compared to premenopausal women. More notably, at lower levels of sleep apnea severity, women’s blood pressure rises more than men’s, suggesting heightened sensitivity to disrupted sleep.

Hormonal fluctuations compound the challenges women face with sleep quality throughout their lives. Women’s sleep patterns change across the menstrual cycle, and physical discomfort can vary at different times. Social roles and responsibilities also play a part, contributing to more reported sleep difficulties among women.

Despite these challenges, women consistently report more insomnia symptoms and greater trouble with both falling and staying asleep than men—even though women generally sleep longer across the lifespan.

Women Sleep Longer Than Men, yet R ...

The timing of meals plays a critical role in both metabolic health and sleep quality. Recent studies by researchers like Marie-Pierre St-Onge and discussions with Andrew Huberman reveal how shifting the schedule of eating—without changing what or how much we eat—can deliver significant benefits.

Early Eating Enhances Fat Metabolism and Aligns With Circadian Physiology

Research shows that beginning to eat just one hour after waking substantially enhances the body’s fat oxidation compared to waiting five hours, even when total calories, meal content, and timing intervals remain identical. This effect means that simply eating earlier signals the body to prioritize fat metabolism during the morning hours before gradually shifting to carbohydrate utilization later in the day.

Adjusting eating patterns with only a modest change in meal timing—such as an 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. window instead of noon to 10 p.m.—can drive these benefits without any calorie or food restrictions. St-Onge and Huberman’s metabolic chamber study underscores that moving eating times to earlier in the day, regardless of keeping all other factors the same, optimizes our circadian rhythms and supports cardiometabolic health.

Macronutrient Ratios Affect Sleep Architecture Independently of Calories

The nutritional makeup of meals affects sleep quality beyond total energy intake. Higher fiber intake is strongly associated with more deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep, indicating that the quality of carbohydrates matters. Conversely, increased consumption of saturated fat is linked to reductions in deep and slow-wave sleep, highlighting that fat quality—not just quantity—can have a measurable impact. Additionally, diets rich in refined carbohydrates and simple sugars lead to more nighttime arousals, disrupting overall sleep architecture.

Mediterranean and Dash Diets Reduce Insomnia and Support Sleep

Large cohort and longitudinal studies, such as the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Women’s Health Initiative, have consistently found that individuals with dietary profiles closer to the Mediterranean or DASH diets report fewer insomnia symptoms and better overall sleep quality. This is particularly evident in women, who are less likely to develop insomnia over time if their diets emphasize whole foods, vegetables, moderate protein, healthy fats, and minimize processed foods and added sugars.

Both the Mediterranean and DASH diets focus on high intakes of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and plant-based foods, alongside low-fat dairy. The best evidence points ...

Metabolic and sleep health are deeply influenced by the types of nutrients and overall dietary patterns individuals adopt. Recent scientific exploration highlights several key food strategies, from leveraging unique oils and plant components to focusing on patterns like the Mediterranean and DASH diets, emphasizing the broad value of whole-food nutrition.

Medium-Chain Triglycerides Boost Energy and Aid Weight Loss

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are metabolized differently from typical dietary fats. Instead of circulating through the body and being stored in adipose tissue, MCTs travel directly to the liver, where they are rapidly burned for energy. Studies in both men and women have shown that consuming MCTs increases the thermic effect of food by about 45 to 60 calories per meal compared to standard fats. Although the increased calorie burn may seem modest, this effect can accumulate: small advantages repeated over multiple meals and days result in meaningful changes in weight status and body composition over time. In weight loss studies, replacing standard oils with purified MCT oil—for example, a tablespoon daily instead of other dietary fats—produced greater reductions in body fat and improvements in lean mass to fat mass ratio. The recommendation is to substitute, not add, MCT oil to avoid excess calories.

Ginger Powder Boosts Metabolism via Capsaicin Receptors

Ginger powder, when dissolved in warm water and consumed as a beverage, has been shown to boost metabolic rate and increase the thermic effect of food. This is thought to occur through the activation of capsaicin receptors, similar to those triggered by spicy peppers. Experiments measuring calorie burn after a ginger-infused drink reveal that ginger enhances metabolism independent of physical activity, with effects in the range of 50 to 60 extra calories burned. Though modest, these effects can contribute to long-term weight management. Even small daily imbalances, when consistently maintained, can resist weight gain or support weight loss over years.

Fermented and Fiber-Rich Foods Nourish Gut Microbiome and Enhance Health

Fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi provide not only probiotics but also unique bioactive compounds that improve metabolism and help reduce inflammation. Research, including studies on low-sugar fermented foods, shows that these items can lower inflammatory markers (the "inflammatome") even more than fiber-rich foods and can also contribute to better glycemic control or gut health, even if they do not always affect cholesterol levels directly.

Whole foods offer synergistic benefits, supplying a mix of micronutrients, polyphenols, and types of fiber that supplements often fail to provide. Fiber from whole foods, rather than isolated supplements, provides better results for gut and overall health, in part due to this synergy. The health of the gut microbiome, which is shaped by diet, is increasingly recognized as vital for metabolism, immune function, sleep quality, and broader wellbeing. Still, individual responses to increased fiber or fermented foods can vary, and gradual dietary adjustments are recommended.

Mediterranean and Dash Diets Support Cardiometabolic Health

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes olive oil, fish, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. This pattern is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, improved metabolic health, and greater likelihood of healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as regular activity and social engagement. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet increases intake of produce, low-fat dairy, nuts, legumes, and whole grains while reducing sodium and saturated fat. DASH has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and other forms of metabolic dysfunction, independent of salt sensitivity. Evidence from large studies like the Women's He ...