IMPACT OF DIETS RICH IN DAIRY FOODS ON CIRCULATING MELATONIN LEVELS AND SLEEP QUALITY

Diet and sleep are two basic components that directly regulate each individual's overall health. Specialized studies increasingly emphasize that the contemporary human population has difficulties in maintaining optimal body health as a result of the sedentary lifestyle, specific to the 3rd millennium, which is characterized by an increasing proportion of work activity under the influence of artificial light. Scientific evidence available in the literature up to the year 2025 shows that both sleep deprivation and poor quality sleep are generally associated with the promotion of cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases. Dairyrich diets are optimal options for improving sleep quality because they are rich in protein and especially tryptophan, an essential amino acid that is the basic precursor involved in the synthesis of melatonin, the hormone responsible for initiating, maintaining and improving sleep quality. This work is a complement to the research initiated by the authors on the development of functional dairy food products that improve quality of life by promoting good quality sleep. The paper contains concrete scientific evidence demonstrating that the type of diet and eating pattern directly influences sleep architecture and sleep quality.