People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may want to take a look at the foods they are eating in order to help alleviate their symptoms, an expert has said.

Alison Wyndham, director of the Wyndham Centre, explained that it is an autoimmune problem that can be helped at least in part through healthy eating.

"There are certain foods that create inflammation in the body, such as sugar and processed food, so I would recommend cutting such foods out of their diet," she noted.

Ms Wyndham also suggested that RA patients cut caffeine drinks out of their daily eating routine due to their stimulating properties.

This follows the publication of a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, which claimed that poor quality of sleep can lead to more severe symptoms in RA sufferers.

It found that higher levels of depressive symptoms, greater pain severity and increased fatigue all resulted from restlessness.