How Nutrition and Sleep Are Related
Waking up after getting very little sleep leaves you feeling tired and irritable These feelings are the result of your body being unable to process insulin which then causes your body to store fat at higher rates This can cause you to gain weight even if you havent changed your exercise routine or diet Lack of sleep also affects the hormones ghrelin and leptin
Leptin lets your body know when youre full and ghrelin tells you when youre hungry This hormonal imbalance causes you to feel hungry even after youve eaten which then results in overeating The dreaded sleepless night can be changed by what youre eating Your body thrives from nutrients and protein such as isolate protein Consuming protein at night has the following benefits advances muscle growth quickens exercise recovery time improves athletic performance aids in weight loss and promotes better sleep Protein contains the amino acid tryptophan which helps with the production of serotonin and melatonin
Together these hormones encourage sleep Sleep and nutrition are a cycle If you eat healthier youll sleep better and the cycle will continue However if you have a poor diet your ability to sleep will suffer So what should you be eating Read on to find out
What a Sleep Promoting Diet Looks Like
If you want better sleep you have to adjust your diet by adding fruits vegetables protein and whole grains If this sounds similar to a weight loss diet its because its the same as what successful dieters use This is why its referred to as a lifestyle change You have to keep at it to reap the rewards Dont eat large meals before bed but you shouldnt go to bed hungry either or your hunger pangs may keep you awake Choose a light snack to hold you over until morning Two sleep inducing options are bananas and berries
Drinking tart cherry juice has also been proven to increase your sleep time and efficiency The best way to get yourself accustomed to eating healthier is to make your own meals By doing so youll know what ingredients are being used and you can control when you eat as well as the portion sizes Try to increase your daily water intake If youre feeling thirsty youre probably already slightly dehydrated By staying hydrated you can avoid bouts of sluggishness and disorientation
If youre tired during the day youre more likely to take a nap which can disturb your ability to sleep at night By drinking water youre ensuring two things First your mouth and nose wont get dry If theyre dry your chances of falling into a deep sleep are greatly hindered Second being dehydrated can cause muscle cramps which are a painful way to be woken up Drink a lot of water over the course of the day to maintain balance If you wait until right before bed youll be up all night using the bathroom
What Vitamins and Mineral To Include
If youre trying to get a solid nights rest there are several vitamins and minerals you should include in your diet Vitamin B which is found in salmon chicken breast and bananas produces serotonin Calcium which is found in milk and yogurt naturally calms the body If you suffer from restless leg syndrome adding iron can help Clams and oysters are high in iron Oysters are an extra helpful choice because they contain zinc as well Its important to ensure youre getting enough zinc because a deficiency is linked to insomnia
What To Avoid
Stay away from foods that are high in sugars and carbohydrates Anything that makes your blood sugar spike can negatively impact your sleep schedule Added sugar makes you go from having tons of energy to having none If you eat natural sugars and whole grains instead youll have long lasting energy because your body takes longer to break these foods down Maintaining energy during the day keeps you going until youre ready to sleep for the night
Dont eat anything that gives you heartburn when its within three hours of your bedtime Having heartburn hinders your ability to sleep and laying down increases the unpleasantness of acid reflux Spicy foods are even worse because they give you heartburn and increase your core temperature When you sleep your temperature naturally drops Thus this abnormal increase can make it difficult to sleep
As far as drinks go you should limit alcohol and caffeine Its wise not to ingest any from late afternoon through bedtime Alcohol can cause snoring which is detrimental to good sleep Although alcohol helps you to sleep well at first it affects how well you sleep later on in the night It confuses your brain which keeps you in lighter sleep stages Youll then feel exhausted in the morning because you didnt get the deep sleep your body needed Consuming drinks that contain caffeine can give you a burst of energy but this extra stamina is useless at night when you need to sleep Caffeine makes you feel alert by blocking certain chemicals in your brain that tell you youre tired It can stay in your blood for nearly six hours after you consume it Decide when you should stop drinking any caffeinated drinks based on your own bedtime schedule
When To Eat
The times when you eat have a lot to do with your ability to sleep Eat nutritious meals and healthy snacks throughout the day to keep your energy level stabilized Its vital to eat breakfast because it gives you the energy to start your day It signifies to your body that its time to get up and go Its generally a good idea to start with bigger meals at the beginning of the day and end with smaller meals
Its clear that nutrition affects how well you sleep and getting enough rest is important to your overall health Now that you have an idea of what you need to do to improve your own health its time to take a look at yourself You may need to change some of the unhealthy eating habits youre used to Although habits can be difficult to break its worth it when the outcome is a healthier version of yourself
Food and what we consume can play a massive role in our sleep quantity and quality If you are struggling with regulating your slumbers there are many steps that you can take in your daily life by altering your diet and nutrition You can take back control of your snoozing and enjoy better sleep if you find the right adjustments to your diet so dont wait another moment suffering through sleep
Good quality sleep may seem difficult to come by but tweaking your diet is one of the very best ways to achieve this Avoiding the food that keeps you awake and restless and adding foods that promote a healthy sleep cycle will have you falling asleep peacefully in no time
For all your sleep troubles Alaska Sleep Clinic has a blog with answers you are looking for to your health questions Sign up to receive ASCs daily sleep blog below Our website received over 5 million visits last year alone making wwwAlaskaSleepcom one of the top 5 sites in the world for sleep education
