Nutrition and Sleep: The Best and Worst Foods for Quality Rest

It is well known that eating a balanced diet is key to leading a healthy lifestyle. It reduces the risk of diseases like stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, helps you maintain a more positive mood, and promotes more energy. Among other things, good nutrition essentially helps us look and feel like ourselves. Interestingly, a full night’s sleep also offers many of the same benefits.

good sleep and mindful eating they go hand in hand, and each has the ability of the other. Eating the wrong foods at the wrong times can be detrimental to your quality of sleep, which plays an important role in maintaining your physical and mental health. mental health. Next, learn how you can modify your eating habits to get better quality rest, including best foods for sleep and the foods you want to avoid.

How lack of sleep affects your health

The recommended amount of sleep for adults is seven to nine hours each night. During that time, your brain goes through all four stages of sleep: three stages of NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and one stage of REM (rapid eye movement).

• NREM sleep: The stages of peaceful sleep where your brain is working to retain memories and knowledge, as well as repair, refresh, and restore your body.
• REM sleep: The stage of active sleep in which your body is working to repair cells and muscle tissue, promote bone and muscle growth, and help strengthen the immune system.

If you frequently wake up in the middle of the night or have trouble sleeping through the night, it prevents your body from executing the necessary processes that keep you healthy and productive. continuous bad sleep puts you at risk of:

• heart disease
• Career
• Weight gain
• high blood pressure
• Bad memory
• Weakened immune system

Imbalanced nutrition tends to be a common culprit for poor sleep, especially if you’re eating certain foods too close to bedtime.

Nutrition for quality sleep.

There seems to be a clear link between nutrition and sleep quality. To find out more, I spoke with Stephanie Nelson, a registered dietitian who works as a nutrition expert on the tracking app MyFitnessPal. Nelson explained: “The relationship between sleep and nutrition is very complex and we don’t know everything about all the associations between sleep and food. However, a good general summary is that any biological process, including sleep, is seen influenced by getting the amount of nutrients.

“For example, having high blood sugar affects your energy in the moment, which can prevent you from sleeping,” Nelson continued. “Other nutrients affect neurotransmitters that facilitate relaxation and turn off the brain for sleep.”

While food affects sleep, the amount of quality sleep you get can also affect your eating habits. Nelson said: “Interestingly, the relationship goes both ways. There is research showing that lack of sleep can negatively affect hormonal balances that affect hunger, and people who sleep less tend to eat more overall.”

Making more mindful choices about food and when you eat it can make a big difference in the quality of your sleep.

Do’s and Don’ts of Eating for Better Sleep

Here are Nelson’s tips on how to eat for better sleep.

do

1. Eat a balanced dinner

“The building blocks of a balanced dinner are a protein source, a high-fiber carbohydrate source, and a vegetable. This could look like a grilled marinated chicken breast, some quinoa, and roasted vegetables,” he said. Nelson. “You can also get more creative with it, like a coconut curry made with tofu and sautéed vegetables, served with brown rice, or tacos made with the protein of your choice, some beans, cabbage, and onions (and all your other favorite toppings). .”

2. Eat foods that promote serotonin production

Serotonin is necessary for your body to make melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. But Nelson also warns that as well a lot serotonin is associated with poor sleep.

“In order for your body to produce the correct amount of serotonin, you need to consume tryptophan, an amino acid that you can find in most animal foods, oatmeal, nuts and seeds,” Nelson explained. “It also needs to have a carbohydrate source, which allows tryptophan to be used for serotonin instead of other processes. Other nutrients like vitamin B6, found in sweet potatoes, among other foods, are also needed for the right amount of serotonin production.

3. Eat about three hours before bed

You may have heard that you shouldn’t eat right before bed if you want to get a good night’s rest. But how soon, exactly, should you stop eating? “It’s different for everyone,” Nelson said. “Most experts recommend eating three hours before bedtime for the best sleep results, so start there, but definitely play with it. Some people can eat closer to bedtime and still have a good night’s sleep.” of sleep,” he said.

not to do

1. Avoid caffeine, sugary drinks and alcohol before bed

You probably know that caffeine isn’t the best late-night drink, but what about alcohol or juices? Nelson says you should also try to avoid them in the hours just before bed.

“Being hydrated is key to a good night’s sleep,” he said. “Alcohol dehydrates you, so as a first step, cut down on your alcohol intake close to bedtime. High-sugar drinks can also interfere with sleep, and anything that contains caffeine.”

“If you’re having trouble sleeping, definitely check to see when you’ve had your most recent caffeinated beverages before bed,” he noted.

2. Don’t eat dessert close to bedtime

For people with a sweet tooth, do not eat foods such as ice cream, cookies or chocolate before bed. Nelson explains that “low-fiber, high-sugar snacks before bedtime can cause a spike and then a drop in blood sugar.” These irregular blood sugar levels can interrupt your sleep in multiple ways, making it difficult for you to rest soundly.

3. Don’t overindulge in late-night indulgences

“Eating large amounts of any type of food too close to bedtime is likely to affect your sleep, especially if it’s high in sugar or fat. On the other hand, if you go to bed hungry, that could also negatively affect your sleep.” Nelson said.

Life happens, and sometimes you need a midnight snack to avoid falling asleep with a growling stomach. Nelson advises eating something small, high in fiber and paired with protein “to keep your blood sugar from spiking and keep you full until morning.” She adds: “Try a banana with peanut butter or a handful of berries with yogurt.”

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider regarding any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or health goals.