An optimal sleep pattern has important implications for maintaining good health. However, between 14% and 40% of the general population has problems sleeping, including insufficient duration, prolonged sleep latency, frequent and prolonged nocturnal awakenings, and other sleep disorders.

Lack of sleep and sleep deterioration can affect cognitive performance in children and adults. Over time, altered sleep patterns activate pathological genetic predispositions and are linked to the onset of disorders or physiological alterations. These include a greater propensity for excess weight, irritability, difficulty concentrating, generalized fatigue, etc. The high prevalence and negative impact of sleep alteration underscore the importance of trying to establish healthy habits and modify potentially harmful factors.

Sleep problems are linked to dietary intake, and vice versa. The amount and timing of carbohydrate and amino acid (specifically tryptophan) ingestion can involve and influence levels of sleep-related neurotransmitters and affect sleep patterns. Micronutrient intake has not received as much attention as that of macronutrients as a modifiable factor affecting lack of sleep and sleep problems. However, experimental studies indicate that micronutrients (such as zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin C, tryptophan, tyrosine, etc.) are essential for the action of the chemical signals that regulate sleep.