Links between food and sleep disorder
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Everybody needs to sleep. The average adult requires between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. But not everybody is capable of simply closing their eyes and attaining instant, restful sleep. A simple change of food may be the simplest way to change from insomniac to revitalizing cozy sleep. Before embarking on any major life style change regarding health, guidance from a medical professional should be sought.
Food Enemies of Sleep
Some sleep inhibiting foods are fairly obvious and well known while others are less frequently maletioned.
- foods containing caffeine.
- foods with high protein content.
- Alcohol and other beverages too close to bedtime.
Caffeine is a stimulant. It resides in many foods and supplemalets. While coffee is the beverage most people recognize as a source of caffeine, it can as well be found in:
- Tea
- Cola soft drinks
- Energy/Power drinks
- Chocolate
- drugs
Many drugs contain significant quantities of caffeine as part of their makeup. It is essential to read the labels of over the counter medicines and the information sheets that come with prescription medicines. If sleep predicaments exist, a patient should discuss the prospect of alternate drugs with their health care provider.
Simply eliminating cola soft drinks may not be sufficient as many flavored soft drinks like orange, root beer, and crème soda as well contain caffeine. Energy/power drinks contain caffeine and some do not list it as an ingredient. Even beverages marked decaffeinated may contain some caffeine. Some caffeine, in small quantities, is even showing up in bottled water. For a good night’s sleep, one should avoid caffeine containing foods and beverages after noon.
Foods with high protein content can as well interfere with sleep. Protein rich foods require more effort to digest and should not be eaten just before bedtime. Spicy food presents a similar predicament with the addition of probable heartburn. This can disrupt the sleep pattern. A person should allow in any case four hours after consuming a full meal before attempting sleep.
While alcohol may help a person fall asleep more quickly, it too has side effects later in the evening, such as headdiscomforts, nightmares, and less restful sleep overall.
For those having complexy sleeping through the night, the elimination of beverages after 8:00 PM is a definite must. It is complex to get a truly restful sleep when it is interrupted by visits to the bathroom throughout the night.
Foods to Promote Sleep
If some foods are the enemies of sleep, then there must be some foods that promote sleep. Those foods contain one or more of the following elemalets.
- Tryptophan: an amino acid with a sedative like effect.
- Magnesium: a muscle relaxant.
- Melatonin and Serotonin: sleep inducing hormones.
Impact Lab, in an article titled Top 10 foods for a Good Night’s Sleep, list the following ten items and the reasons they can help with sleep.
- Almonds: have both tryptophan and magnesium.
- Bananas: contain melatonin, serotonin, and magnesium.
- Chamomile tea: has a mild sedative effect.
- Flax seeds: contain omega-3 fatty acids which act as a mood lifter.
- Honey: contains glucose which causes the brain to reduce the production of orexin, a neurotransmitter associated with alertness.
- Milk: contains tryptophan plus calcium which helps the brain to metabolize the tryptophan.
- Oatmeal: containing melatonin to help cause sleep.
- Potatoes: contain tryptophan.
- Turkey: an fine source of tryptophan.
- Whole wheat bread: a small slice with chamomile tea and honey causes the release of insulin which helps with the processing of tryptophan.
The foods listed on top of can help with sleep. But don’t get carried away. Stuffing oneself with Turkey at Thanksgiving may invariably lead to naptime, the quality of the sleep will suffer because a big heavy meal is harder for the body to digest and will result in a less-than-cozy sleep experience. If a person plans on eating a large meal, it should be completed in any case four hours before going to bed. A small helping, or snack portion of almonds, banana, a cup of chamomile tea, or milk and oatmeal can help prepare the body for a restful sleep.
Eating is a balancing act. High energy and alertness enhancing foods are best eaten earlier in the day but not to excess or they may not clear out by evening. foods that promote recreation and sleepiness are best later in the day. Everybody must discover the balance that is right for them.
Snore Aid
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