Foods
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Although it’s probably not the first thing you think of when identifying risk factors for insomnia, your diet do indeed influence the way you sleep. First, healthy people generally enjoy healthy sleep than those who are less healthy. That’s why eating a balanced diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, low levels of fat and sugar, and plenty of variety will help you improve your sleep. This same diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which reduces your risk for the sleep disorder.
In addition, the choices you make about how much and what kinds of food you eat in the hours before bedtime have a direct impact on how well you’re able to sleep. After all, when you think about it, food is made up of chemicals that can act on the body the same way a drug might work. Eating certain foods can help you sleep better by boosting levels of natural sleep-promoting substances in your body. Eating other foods may prevent you from sleeping well by disrupting the function of your brain’s sleep centers.
Choose foods that contain the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is important for sleep because it is the precursor of the neurotransmitter called serotonin, one of the body’s “sleep” chemicals (and a primary neurotransmitter involved in regulating your moods). One of the functions of serotonin is to slow down nerve activity, therefore inducing sleep. Tryptophan is also the precursor of melatonin, the “sleep hormone” that helps set the stage for sleep.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, important in a wide variety of brain functions, including the regulation of moods. People who suffer from depression, as well as depression-related insomnia, often have deficient levels of serotonin in the brain.
A glass of warm milk contains tryptophan. That’s why ts often prescribed as a sleep aid (unless you’re lactose intolerant and the resulting upset stomach would keep you awake). Other foods high in tryptophan include peanut butter, dates, figs, rice, tuna, turkey (which is one of the reasons you get sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner!) and yogurt. It takes about an hour for tryptophan to reach the brain after you consume it, so plan your snack time
wisely. It’s also possible to take tryptophan in the form of a supplement.
In addition to timing the consumption of tryptophan foods, you may also want to look at whether you’re receiving enough vitamins and minerals in your regular diet
Certain vitamins and minerals affect your ability to sleep and the quality of the sleep you get, including vitamin B complex, calcium and magnesium (taken together), copper and iron, and zinc. However, you should discuss taking these substances with a health care professional before using them to help you sleep.
Foods To Help You Sleep
Sleep Inducing Foods
Foods That Help Sleep
