Sleep Smarter: Eat Fiber, Skip Saturated Fat & Late Meals
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge reveals how diet directly impacts deep sleep and metabolic health. Cut saturated fat, boost fiber, and finish eating 3 hours before bed.
Eating for Better Sleep & Foods that Improve Metabolic Health | Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge
With Andrew Huberman, Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge · Sunday, June 14, 2026
Andrew Huberman and Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge discuss the bidirectional relationship between sleep and food, exploring how sleep deprivation impacts hunger and metabolic health differently in men and women. They also delve into how specific dietary choices like fiber, saturated fat, and meal timing affect sleep quality, as well as the metabolic effects of functional foods like MCTs and ginger. The episode covers sex differences in sleep requirements and offers clinical approaches to addressing sleep issues.
Key takeaways
- Fiber boosts deep sleep: Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge's research shows that higher fiber intake directly links to more deep, restorative slow-wave sleep. Read more →
- Ginger boosts your internal furnace: Consuming ginger significantly increases the body's thermic effect of food (TEF), meaning you burn more calories simply digesting your meals. Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge's research showed this elevated burn lasted for hours after consumption. Read more →
- Publication Rights Are Contractual: Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge confirms that research contracts almost universally protect a scientist's right to publish findings, regardless of whether the results favor the funder. Without the right to publish, she says, there is no point in doing the research. Read more →
- Diets mirroring Mediterranean or DASH principles are strongly linked to better sleep quality and fewer insomnia symptoms. Read more →
- When sleep-deprived, men experience increased ghrelin (the hunger hormone), while women see a reduction in GLP-1 (a satiety hormone), both leading to higher caloric intake. Read more →
- Cutting sleep triggers specific hormonal shifts that directly increase hunger, making overeating a biological imperative, not just a willpower issue. Read more →
6 articles from this episode
Ginger & MCT Oil: Boost Calorie Burn, Not Just Food Flavor
Andrew Huberman and Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge reveal how ginger and MCT oil can increase calorie burn and support weight loss by boosting your body's thermic effect.
Huberman Lab: Your Bias Against Industry Research Is Wrong
Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge debunks myths on industry-funded science, revealing how contracts protect researchers and null results are common across all studies.
Fiber, Fat, & the 3-Hour Sleep Rule: Huberman's Dinner Dial-In
Stop guessing. Huberman Lab reveals how your dinner—fiber, saturated fat, and meal timing—directly impacts deep sleep and your ability to fall asleep.
Sleep Loss Hits Women's GLP-1, Spikes Insulin Resistance
Forget generic sleep advice. For women, even mild sleep restriction slashes satiety hormones and drives insulin resistance, especially post-menopause. Act now.
Short Sleep Boosts Hunger: Men & Women React Differently
Just 1.5 hours less sleep can boost hunger hormones, drive 300+ extra calories daily, and raise metabolic risk. Huberman Lab details sex-specific effects on ghrelin and GLP-1.
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