Health
By Ellie Porter
Diet and nutrition are the building blocks of strength, but sleep acts as the foundation. For that foundation to remain strong, care must be taken to build healthy eating habits. While sleep may seem like a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity for the body to fully function. A diet that’s balanced between complex carbohydrates and protein and eaten on a regular schedule will better support sleep.
Sleep acts as the body’s rebuilding time. While unconscious, the brain removes toxic proteins that build up during the daytime. The muscles are flooded with human growth hormone to stimulate repair and growth. And, the immune system recharges and sends antibodies throughout the body in preparation for their daytime protection duties. Without adequate sleep, the brain slows down, the immune system gets behind, and muscles fatigue.
Despite the many factors that can get in the way of a full night’s rest like stress and anxiety, a diet that focuses on consistency and adequate nutrition can help regulate the sleep cycle. In turn, when the body gets a full seven to nine hours of sleep appetite, metabolism, and emotions stabilize and regulate themselves.
Sleep supportive nutrition starts with a balance of healthy foods. It’s been found that high-carb meals influence body temperature, heart rate, and the release of the sleep hormone melatonin in favor of better sleep. High-carbohydrate meals full of whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat breads can actually help the body fall asleep faster.
Protein, on the other hand, can help the body stay asleep. A 2011 study found that high-protein meals reduced episodes of wakefulness. Finding a balance between the two, carbohydrates and proteins, can help support a better, more restful sleep cycle.
However, it’s not just about what is eaten but when the meals take place. The human sleep cycle relies on repeating behavioral patterns to stay on a predictable schedule. Meal timing is one of the patterns the body uses to correctly time the sleep cycle.
Evenly spaced meals that are eaten around the same time every day help establish the beginning of the sleep cycle. Altering mealtimes by several hours can cause a change in the release of sleep hormones and, consequently, cause sleep problems.
There are a few other ways that food can influence the sleep cycle. Stimulants like caffeine get in the way of the release of sleep hormones. They can continue to affect the body for four hours or more after consumption, leaving the body awake well beyond the normal bedtime.
Heavy, large meals eaten late at night throw off sleep timing. They can also cause heartburn and indigestion, contributing to wakefulness.
Beyond food, better sleep comes when the body can fully relax. A comfortable pillow that supports the neck, a mattress that accommodates body weight, and sheets made of natural fibers that allow the body to breathe are non-diet related ways to help the body sleep more soundly.
Ultimately, better sleep comes with consistency. A continuous healthy diet eaten at regular intervals along with a regular bedtime can make all the difference for sleep quality. With effort and patience, a full night’s rest can be the norm rather than the exception.
*Ellie Porter is the managing editor of SleepHelp.org
– Mar. 20, 2018 @ 09:12 GMT /
Tags: The Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality
