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Researchers discover unexpected connection between eating one avocado daily and improved sleep health, even as overall heart scores remain unchanged. In a nutshell

Eating one avocado daily for 26 weeks improved sleep health scores by 3.20 points, along with diet quality and blood lipid levels

Overall cardiovascular health scores remained unchanged despite these individual improvements

The sleep-avocado connection was unexpected and may be worth exploring for people seeking natural sleep support

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Of all the health benefits people associate with avocados — from heart health to weight management — better sleep probably isn’t one of them. But a new study of nearly 1,000 adults led by scientists at Penn State University and funded by The Avocado Nutrition Center, demonstrates an unexpected finding: eating one avocado every day for six months led to modest but statistically significant improvements in participants’ sleep health scores, even though it didn’t raise their overall cardiovascular health ratings.

The discovery caught researchers off guard in a 26-week trial that tracked 969 Americans with abdominal obesity. Half the group ate one large Hass avocado daily while the other half maintained their usual diet with minimal avocado consumption. While scientists expected to see improvements in traditional markers like cholesterol and diet quality (which they did), the sleep connection was unanticipated.

The Sleep-Avocado Connection Nobody Saw Coming

Participants who ate daily avocados showed a 3.20-point improvement in their sleep health scores compared to the control group, a result that was statistically significant. For context, this improvement was on par with gains seen in diet quality (3.53 points) and blood lipids (3.46 points), both of which were expected based on previous avocado studies.

The researchers speculate that avocados’ nutritional makeup may play a role. As the paper notes, avocados are “rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin K, copper, and pantothenic acid, ” a combination that could influence sleep through various biological pathways, though further research is needed.

Why Sleep Health Matters More Than You Think

Sleep affects virtually every aspect of well-being, from immune strength and cognitive clarity to weight regulation and heart function. Poor sleep has been linked to higher risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression. That a simple dietary change could nudge sleep scores upward without medications or major lifestyle overhauls could be meaningful for the millions of Americans struggling to rest well.

The American Heart Association includes sleep health as one of its “Life’s Essential 8” cardiovascular metrics, recognizing its central role in maintaining overall health. Sleep affects blood pressure, glucose regulation, inflammation, and stress hormones — all key elements of heart health.

Improving your sleep can lead to a number of better health outcomes. Adding an avocado to your daily diet regimen may just help you do that. (© Drobot Dean – stock.adobe.com) The Bigger Picture: Mixed Results for Heart Health

While the sleep findings stood out, the study’s main goal, improving overall cardiovascular health scores, yielded more neutral results. Researchers used a version of the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8” score, which averages eight health factors: diet, activity, sleep, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and nicotine exposure.

Despite improvements in diet quality, sleep health, and blood lipids, the total LE8 score did not significantly change in the avocado group compared to the control group. Participants began with an average score around 66 out of 100 (classified as “moderate”) and that level essentially held steady after six months.

“Intake of 1 avocado per day for 26 weeks did not significantly affect the total cardiovascular health score in US adults with abdominal obesity,” the researchers concluded. “However, diet quality, sleep health, and blood lipids improved with daily avocado intake.”

Having an avocado with your lunch may not improve your heart health independently, but it certainly might lead to a night of sound sleep. (Photo by Valeria Boltneva from Pexels) What This Means for Your Nightly Routine

For those looking to support better sleep naturally, adding an avocado to your daily routine could be a small, sustainable change worth trying. The intervention was highly manageable: 88–95% of participants in the avocado group stuck with the daily habit throughout the study.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, didn’t test whether timing mattered, so feel free to experiment: try it in a smoothie, spread on toast, or tossed into a dinner salad. The potential sleep benefits appeared consistent regardless of how or when it was eaten.

Still, researchers caution against seeing avocados as a sleep panacea. The study focused on adults with abdominal obesity, and results might not apply to other groups. Also, sleep quality is shaped by many factors, including stress, screen time, room temperature, and bedtime routines.

The takeaway: while your daily avocado might help you rest easier, it’s most effective as part of a broader set of healthy habits—including a regular sleep schedule, reduced caffeine, and a calming nighttime environment.

Paper Summary Methodology

Researchers conducted a 26-week randomized controlled trial across four clinical sites in the United States, involving 969 adults aged 25 and older with elevated waist circumference (35+ inches for women, 40+ inches for men) who typically ate fewer than two avocados per month. Participants were randomly assigned to either eat one large Hass avocado daily while maintaining their usual diet, or continue their habitual diet with minimal avocado consumption. Scientists measured cardiovascular health using a modified version of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 score, which evaluates eight components: diet quality, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. The study population was 73% female with an average age of 51 years and included diverse racial and ethnic groups across sites in Massachusetts, California, and Pennsylvania.

Results

Daily avocado consumption for 26 weeks did not significantly improve the overall Life’s Essential 8 cardiovascular health score compared to the control group. However, participants eating avocados daily showed statistically significant improvements in three individual components: diet quality (3.53-point increase), sleep health (3.20-point increase), and blood lipids (3.46-point increase). When physical activity was removed from the scoring calculation due to measurement limitations, the avocado group showed a modest 1.34-point improvement in their modified cardiovascular health score. Adherence was high, with 88-95% of avocado group participants successfully consuming their daily fruit throughout the study period.

Limitations

Researchers had to modify the standard Life’s Essential 8 scoring algorithm due to data limitations in the original study, particularly for physical activity assessment, which used a simple yes/no question rather than detailed activity minutes. The scoring for sleep health, nicotine exposure, and blood markers also required modifications based on available data, potentially affecting the accuracy of cardiovascular health score calculations. The study lacked data on social and psychological health determinants, and some components couldn’t be adjusted for medication use as recommended in the standard algorithm. Additionally, the research was designed as an exploratory outcome without specific power calculations for the Life’s Essential 8 metric.

Funding and Disclosures

This research was supported by the Avocado Nutrition Center, though the funding agency had no role in data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the article. The authors reported no conflicts of interest or competing financial disclosures related to this work.

Publication Information

This study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2025, volume 14, article number e039130. The research was conducted as an ancillary analysis of the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial (HAT), a larger randomized controlled trial registered at clinicaltrials.gov with identifier NCT03528031. The original trial was conducted between June 2018 and October 2020 across multiple clinical sites, with data collection extending into 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.