A recent randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of a 5-month almond intervention on sleep quality, biochemical markers, and inflammation in adults experiencing poor sleep. Conducted among 175 participants aged 21 to 55 years in Mumbai, India, the study categorized participants into an almond group and a control group receiving an isocaloric snack. The hypothesis posited that daily almond consumption would enhance both subjective and objective sleep outcomes.
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Initial findings indicated no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. After five months, the almond group reported notable improvements in subjective sleep measures, including sleep efficiency and global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, compared to the control group. Specifically, the almond group exhibited a mean change in subjective sleep efficiency of 9.7% compared to 5.4% for the control group, with p-values indicating statistical significance.
Upon adjusting for baseline values and sex, the almond group had lower global PSQI scores (3.94 vs. 4.79) and shorter subjective sleep latency compared to controls. While the polysomnography-derived sleep parameters showed minimal changes, there was a trend toward lower wakefulness during sleep in the almond group.
Notably, participants in the almond group displayed significantly higher endline melatonin concentrations compared to the control group, suggesting potential biochemical pathways through which almonds may influence sleep quality. However, the study reported no significant changes in most biochemical outcomes post-intervention.
The research, which also highlighted significant levels of poor sleep quality among urban Indian adults, supports the idea that integrating almonds into daily diets could present an effective and safe approach to improving perceived sleep quality. Future studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to verify these findings and explore underlying biological mechanisms more thoroughly.