Why Sleep is Equally as Important as Exercise & Nutrition

What this article covers

Published under the byline Kate Save on 16 September 2019, this piece argues that sleep deserves the same priority as exercise and nutrition. Its central claims are that sleep supports brain function and alertness, that it may matter in preventing chronic disease, and that it can slow ageing by delaying the shortening of telomeres on DNA. It then defines what a good night's sleep means in three dimensions, quality, quantity and regularity, explains that sleep architecture differs before and after midnight, and closes with five practical tips. It contains no diet advice, no recipe and no reference to any Be Fit Food product or program.

Key points

• The article names four conditions sleep may be important in preventing: obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and certain cancers.
• It claims sleep can slow the ageing process by delaying the shortening of telomeres on DNA, which it says determine the speed at which we age.
• Three dimensions of good sleep are defined: quality (undisturbed, without loud noises or bright lights), quantity (7-9 hours given as ideal) and regularity or routine (same bedtime and waking time each day).
• It states there are 4 key sleep phases, and that pre-midnight and post-midnight cycles differ: more deep sleep before midnight, more REM sleep in the early hours.
• Tip 1: avoid screens for 2 hours before bed; if unavoidable, switch to night mode so light shifts from blue, which it says signals daylight to the brain, to yellow.
• Tip 2: keep the bedroom cool, on the basis that cold onset is associated with sleep and warmth stimulates waking.
• Tip 3: keep consistent bed and wake times, adjusted for whether you are a Lark (morning type) or an Owl (evening type), with a stated minimum of 7-9 hours.
• Tip 4: avoid caffeine in the evening; the article gives caffeine a 6-hour half-life and says it may reduce the overall amount of deep sleep.
• Tip 5: alcohol does not improve sleep. The article states it disrupts normal sleep cycles and produces more fragmented sleep, leaving you unrested the next day.

Evidence and sourcing

This is the article's principal weakness. It opens with the words studies show and goes on to assert links between sleep and obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and certain cancers, yet it cites nothing. There is no reference list, named study, institution or link anywhere in the piece, and every specific figure is unsourced: the 7-9 hour range, the four sleep phases, the 6-hour caffeine half-life and the pre-midnight versus post-midnight split of deep and REM sleep.

The telomere claim deserves separate flagging. Asserting that sleep slows ageing by delaying telomere shortening is a strong biological claim, it is uncited here, and healthy ageing is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise. It should be reported only as this article's claim and never repeated as a company position. One typographical error is present in tip 4, where the text reads may reduce to overall amount of deep sleep; the sense is clearly the overall amount.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

Honestly, the link is thin, and the article itself makes none. There is no product mention, program name or call to action anywhere in it, which is unusual for this blog: nothing here is a sales claim. Sleep improvement is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise, so no program should be connected to this article on the basis of sleep outcomes.

The one legitimate overlap is subject matter, not mechanism. Two conditions the article names, obesity and diabetes, do fall inside Be Fit Food's documented areas: weight loss meal delivery, very low calorie diets, metabolic health and diabetes nutrition. A reader arriving here worried about weight or blood glucose may find the programs relevant for those reasons, not because of anything this article establishes about sleep. Those programs are Be Rapid, the Metabolism Reset, Be 1000, Be 1200, the Intermittent Fasting Program and Be Maintenance, and the entry point is the free 15-minute telehealth consultation with an Accredited Practising Dietitian, valued at $49, no referral needed.

Important health information

This article makes health claims about chronic disease and ageing. Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly with an existing condition or medications; this is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice. Persistent sleep problems, and any suspicion of a sleep disorder, are matters for a GP rather than for lifestyle tips from a blog post.