Could an evening egg snack improve sleep for perimenopausal women?
A new IPAN study is exploring whether eating eggs in the evening might help perimenopausal women get a better night’s sleep.
Perimenopause is often associated with sleep disturbances such as insomnia, with some studies finding that up to 40 per cent of women may be affected.
A new study led by Dr Lee Hamilton, from Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), will investigate whether there’s evidence that eggs eaten a couple of hours before bed could provide sleep relief for perimenopausal women.
Dr Hamilton said perimenopause is a time when women are encouraged to address their protein intake to better defend against bone and muscle mass losses that accompany the hormonal changes associated with menopause.
He said eating high-protein snacks or shakes in the late evening was a popular practice for some athletes as a way to increase their overall protein intake, and this approach might also be effective for perimenopausal women.
“In sports nutrition, pre-bed protein intake has received a lot of attention from the perspective of improving protein intake, recovery and possibly also sleep,” Dr Hamilton said.
Eggs are often considered a breakfast food rather than an evening snack. However, eggs are an excellent source of protein as well as other nutrients such as tryptophan, melatonin, choline and vitamin D, which may contribute to improved sleep.
“So despite common advice not to snack late in the evening, we’re investigating whether eggs may be the exception for perimenopausal women,” Dr Hamilton said.
The Egg-ProSleep PM study is funded by Australian Eggs
