This graph shows my total sleep time (including naps) over the past several weeks. Yes, I keep a sleep log.

On August 10 I started to follow 2 new rules:

1. No grains (bread, rice, pasta, etc).
2. No refined sugar.

If you look at the graph again, you’ll notice that before August 10 I was sleeping about 7.5 to 8.0 hours. After August 10 my sleep duration started to decrease, hovering around 6.5 hours. At the moment I don’t use an alarm clock, so the change in diet seems to have caused a natural reduction in sleep need.

In my Sleep Hacks eBook I had a couple sections on how diet affects sleep. I am no doubt convinced that what you eat is a big determinant in sleep quality.

The reason I made this diet change is because of an experience I had several years ago. I was reading about how excess sugar in our diets can sap our energy, leading to general tiredness and fatigue. So I decided to spend a week sugar-free. I also gave up most grain-based foods since the “complex” carbohydrates from grain foods are quickly converted into sugar in our bodies.

The first two days of the experiment were normal, but on the third morning I woke up from the best sleep I’ve had in years. I got out of bed quickly and was actually excited about what I had on my to-do list for the day. To say I had more energy on this sugar-free diet would have been an understatement.

As all good stories come to an end, mine came to an end after only one week. Sugar is just too convenient.

Nevertheless, in the following years I ran other sugar-free experiments, all with great success, but none lasting longer than one month.

I decided to try going sugar-free again and post the results here, with particular emphasis on sleep quality.

Here are some of the changes I’ve noted from current sugar-free experiment. It’s been 20 days (and counting).

Sleep Quality

Waking up every morning is easier. I feel more rejuvenated than usual, most likely indicating a deeper sleep. I’ve also been having terrific dream recall, but I can’t tell if that’s from diet or something else.

As noted above, I’ve also been sleeping less. One night I might sleep 8 hours, the next I might sleep as little as 5. But it tends to average around 6 or 7. I use sunlight in the morning to help reset my circadian rhythm so that my sleep schedule doesn’t go out of sync with the 24-hour day (I’ve had that happen many times before; it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but something I don’t prefer right now).

Energy Levels

Going sugar free has put me closer in touch with my own circadian rhythm. I’m more aware of my alertness levels, and more aware of my body’s “time for bed” signal. I usually have a 4-hour window in the morning where I have high creative output. I’ve been using this time for writing, reading, piano, and work-related projects.

In the afternoon I have maybe an hour or two where my brain needs a break. So I use this time for routine tasks, or something enjoyable like a fiction book or movie. I usually follow up with a power nap, which I use as a springboard into the evening’s wave of alertness.

In the evening I have about a 5-hour window of high creative output. If it’s a work day then I’ll continue the projects I worked on in the morning. If I don’t feel like working then I’ll go to the gym or be with friends. I feel antsy and restless if I try to watch TV or surf the Internet in the evening. It’s like I have a creative energy in me that is begging to be put to use.

This used to not happen before. On my previous diet, I was not lazy and tired, but it took effort to refrain from humdrum activities like TV or surfing YouTube — sometimes a minuscule amount of effort, sometimes a lot, but there was always effort. Now I tend to get a bit anxious if I’m not expressing this newfound energy in some way.

Aside from that, I also have a better sense of when it’s time to go to bed. Our bodies send “go to sleep” signals that help us dose off. Staying up at night in front of a bright computer monitor (which I often do) can mask these signals, so do stress and other factors. Studies have shown the body’s “go to sleep” signal occurs at a time that — if you were to go to sleep then — provides a shortcut into deep sleep.

There’s something nutritionists like to call the “insulin roller coaster” — the constant high-low change of blood sugar and insulin levels caused by too much sugar in the diet. Aside from other problems, the insulin roller coaster takes your energy levels along for the ride, meaning unpredictable waves of alertness and drowsiness throughout the day.

I believe one of the reasons I’ve experienced these changes is because I’ve stepped off the insulin roller coaster. Your body can (and in some cases, prefers to) use protein and fat for energy. It doesn’t need the overabundance of carbohydrates and the subsequent highs and lows in alertness.

The Diet

My current diet rules are simple. I can eat as much of the following as I want:

• Nonstarchy vegetables
• Lean meats
• Fish
• Nuts
• Berries
• Olive oil or similar healthy fats
• Eggs

I don’t eat:

• Refined sugar
• Bread
• Rice
• Pasta

I limit cheese and milk, and limit high-sugar fruits like bananas, mangoes, and pineapple. My previous diet was approximately the same, except I ate “healthy” grains like brown rice, and I drank sugar drinks marketed as “healthy.”

I’m not claiming it’s a perfect diet. For one, I don’t follow it perfectly. For another, maybe I shouldn’t worry about high-sugar fruits bananas. But maybe I should. I don’t know. That’s why I experiment. Maybe I’ll try adding high-sugar fruits back in to see how I feel.

I still have some sugar intake, especially from berries. But the point isn’t to remove carbohydrates and sugar completely. The point is to remove the sources of carbs and sugar that our genes did not evolve to handle. Humans went for over 2 million years without grains such as wheat or rice. Humans didn’t eat refined sugar either. Both of these foods, in my opinion, are little more than unnecessary for optimal health.

I have been uncovering more connections lately between sleep, brain health, and diet. My recent change to remove grains inspired not only this article, but my previous one: Health Dangers of Bread, Pasta, and Rice (which might ruffle some feathers).

If you have any experiences with improved sleep quality or energy accompanying some dietary change, please let everyone know in the comments! Or you can contact me directly through email. I’m not an expert on nutrition, so I need help from my readers to share their experiences.