Nutrition for Better Sleep!
4 ways to improve your sleep!
How you can improve your quality of sleep
Sleep is super important for our health and wellbeing! Adults need between 7-9 hours a night and less than this can lead to tiredness, irritability, increased appetite, reduced cognition, reduced immune function and even a higher risk of cardiometabolic conditions. Wow! Lucky we’re here to help you with 4 easy ways to improve sleep.
Protein
Have you ever felt sleepy after a big feed of meat? Or heard that a glass of milk at night will help you drift off? Well, it's true that protein-rich foods make you sleepier. Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids, one of which is called tryptophan.
Tryptophan is useful in increasing sleepiness and improving quality of sleep by entering the brain and being used in the synthesis of serotonin, which you may recognise as the happy hormone. Serotonin then goes on to help make melatonin which is the sleep hormone, which we need to build up by the end of the day to bring about sleepiness. Maintaining a regular intake of protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, beans, and legumes throughout the day and with dinner may help improve your sleep.
Carbohydrate
Do you ever feel drowsy after a high carbohydrate meal such as pasta or potatoes? Research has shown that you may fall asleep more quickly after eating carbohydrates. This is because carbohydrates cause a release of insulin into the blood which can actually help tryptophan (see above for info) to cross the blood brain barrier (barrier between the blood and the brain) and get to work in the brain. Basically, eating carbohydrates causes a sequence of events which leads to more melatonin build up in the brain, making you sleepy.
Having said that, it’s a great idea to focus on consuming more nourishing, fibrous carbohydrate sources e.g. fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, beans and pulses. This is because people with healthier overall diets that include these types of foods, tend to have better sleep quality than people who eat their carbohydrates in the form of more processed or sugary foods.
Alcohol
Alcohol can sometimes hasten or delay the onset of sleepiness but it will always reduce sleep quality. Alcohol is broken down in the liver relatively slowly therefore, if a large amount is consumed in one go there is a build up of alcohol in the system, this is why intoxication occurs. This means that if you go to sleep with a high level of alcohol remaining in the blood, it will remain high for some time, disrupting sleep and specifically reducing REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep which can lead to shorter sleep duration and lower quality sleep.
It has been found that high intake of alcohol can disrupt sleep by around 39%. Now, you may not identify as someone who has a high consumption of alcohol but this study also classed 'high' as more than 1 drink per day!
Caffeine
Adenosine is a compound that builds up in the brain over the day, attaching to receptors and slowing down nerve activity. This brings on a drowsy feeling and helps us to sleep by night time. Caffeine binds to these adenosine receptors which stops the actual adenosine from binding themselves and therefore creating drowsiness. This is great for when you need to feel alert, mentally sharp or less sleepy but not conducive with getting to sleep and a good night's rest!
Caffeine reduces by half (half life) in your blood in around 6 hours. Meaning it takes a long time to disappear from our systems. Try to keep caffeine intake limited and towards the beginning of the day in order to avoid sleep disruption. Be warned, caffeine is not just in coffee but also in tea, energy drinks, sodas and chocolate.
Let's Sum It Up
Sleep is super important for our health and wellbeing and as adults, we should be aiming for 7-9 hours of slumber per night. Nutrition can play a big part in helping to improve our sleep.
- Eating enough protein and including it in our evening meal.
- Eating an abundance of nourishing, fibrous carbohydrates and including them in our evening meal.
- Avoiding or limiting alcohol intake, especially before bed.
- Avoiding or limiting excess caffeine intake, especially later in the day.
For more in depth discussions into all things Nutrition, including sleep, check out Amy's Eat Great Chats available on DediKate!
Members can find this under 'Nutrition Chats' on DediKate!
If you are not already a DediKate member, join us for a FREE 7 day free trial here!
