Sleep, exercise and nutrition – the pillars of our health

By Deluxe Sleep · Published on 28 July 2026

Sleep, exercise and nutrition – the pillars of our health

Exercise more, eat healthier, or smoke less – at the turn of the year, many people resolve to take better care of their health. In doing so, they often forget that our health depends not only on a balanced diet and enough exercise, but also on healthy sleep. The importance of sleep is underestimated, and it even seems that chronic tiredness could soon become the new obesity. Here you can find out how the three components – nutrition, exercise and sleep – work together.

How sleep affects our body and mind

Even though it has not yet been conclusively established why we sleep, we already know that sleep is no luxury: too little sleep can make us ill. Sleep deprivation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, anxiety disorders and depression. In addition, the skin becomes thinner and loses elasticity, physical performance declines, we find it harder to concentrate, and we make more poor decisions.

Sleeping well and enough is therefore worthwhile in every respect. During sleep, our brain does not have to take in or process new stimuli. It can cleanse itself, that is, process the information it has gathered and separate what is important from what is not. This stores what we have learned for the long term and improves our memory. In deep sleep, we also build tissue, bones and muscle. Good, sufficient sleep is a real all-rounder: it has a positive effect on our body and mind – and demonstrably makes us happy.

Sleep and nutrition

Most people know that food can affect our sleep: it is hard to fall asleep after a fatty meal or with an empty stomach. It is therefore advisable to eat dinner 2-4 hours before going to bed. Ideally, this meal is light and low in fibre, so that the stomach is not too busy digesting when you fall asleep. Foods containing tryptophan, such as soy, tofu, buckwheat or pumpkin seeds, can also help you fall asleep. If you still find it hard to drift off to dreamland despite an early, light meal, you can try a glass of milk with honey, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, or a tea (e.g. lemon balm, lavender, valerian).

Nutrition affects our sleep – and vice versa: if you sleep too little, you throw your hormone balance out of kilter. Levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin then rise, while levels of the appetite suppressant leptin fall. The result: we crave junk food and sweets because we expect them to give us a quick energy boost. This also explains why, in the longer term – aside from other health problems – sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.

Sleep and exercise

Alongside sleep and nutrition, exercise forms the third pillar of a healthy lifestyle. During sleep, we build muscle and let our body regenerate. Sleep therefore has a positive effect on our fitness level and prepares the body for the next bout of physical activity. Anyone who does not allow themselves enough sleep thereby holds back their own performance.

The relationship between exercise and sleep runs both ways: good sleep has a positive effect on our athletic performance – and exercise has a positive effect on our sleep quality. The only exception is anyone who does intense training in the evening, who should expect trouble falling asleep, since the melatonin rhythm can then shift back by up to two hours. It is therefore advisable not to train intensively in the 1-2 hours before bedtime, and instead to stick to moderate movement – such as a walk.

Source: this article is based on a piece from the BICO sleep blog (bico.ch). The research findings, product developments and test results mentioned in it come from BICO or from the respective named third parties.