This time, I would like to talk about taste and sleep.
Are you able to get a good night's sleep?
And are you experiencing any changes in your sense of taste?
I have heard many people say that as we age, our sense of taste changes, such as our perception of sweetness and saltiness.It's a bit of anecdotal evidence, but I've always wondered if such a thing could happen. I was wondering if it could happen.
There is a study that suggests that there may be a relationship between taste and sleep quality. I would like to introduce you to a study that shows that there may be a relationship between taste and sleep quality.
Contents of the study
The purpose of the study was to evaluate taste sensitivity and sleep patterns through age.
Thirty-five adult males and 24 elderly subjects were studied for sleep assessment (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and taste sensitivity.
Taste sensitivity was assessed using three dilutions, which showed different concentrations for the four basic flavors (salty, sweet, bitter, and sour).
These samples were encoded with three digits and presented randomly to the participants in 50 mL plastic cups.
As a result, the quality of sleep was poor in both groups.
Older adults showed adverse effects in identifying sweet and salty tastes, and in this population, sleep duration was found to be associated with perception of sweetness.
Discussion
The study showed that older adults have difficulty discriminating between sweet and salty tastes, independent of sleep quality.
According to this researcher, a change in the duration of the intervention may change the conclusions, since there is no change in taste perception after less than 7 hours of sleep per night.
It is true that a decrease in the quality of sleep may affect the sense of taste, since biological sensitivity is likely to decrease. It seems to be a sensory experience.
Although the results are limited, there is some data showing that taste sensitivity decreases with less sleep.
It can be inferred from this that when the body is tired, it tends to want to eat sweets, so we cannot say with certainty, but there may be a relationship.
Martelli ME, Jacob N, Morais MA, et al. Taste sensitivity throughout age and the relationship with sleep quality. Sleep Sci. 2020;13(1):32-36. doi: 10.5935/1984-0063.20190127
Conclusion
Although there seems to be no relationship between sleep and taste, there may be a change in taste due to aging.This may be the reason why age-related dietary restrictions are undesirable, especially when it comes to salty and sweet tastes.
The quality of the evidence is low, but it is interesting.
