How foods can affect your sleep
November 8th 2007 02:21
We all know that food can be a major influence on many aspects of our lives. The things we eat can make us feel happy or sad, some foods are purported to be aphrodisiacs and too much of a good thing can just leave you feeling fat. Emotions can affect what you eat, how much you eat and how you eat it.
When I was pregnant I had a few issues with sleeping, there were many nights where I just didn’t get a good night’s sleep. I reckon my body was preparing me for the worse … all those nights that were just around the corner when the new baby would demand my attention all hours of the day and night.
And it worked. Mac is over five months old now and still wakes up once or twice a night for a feed … all that practise I got, surviving on just a few hours sleep a night while pregnant is really paying off now!
Anyway, it should come as no surprise that the foods we eat, particularly those eaten late at night can influence our sleeping patterns, determining whether our beauty sleep will be good, bad or indifferent. So here’s a bit of a run down on how to give your body a head start each night just by choosing the right night time snack.
If you’re looking for foods that help you sleep, look for those containing a substance called tryptophan. This is the material used by the brain to build the relaxing neurotransmitters melatonin and serotonin, which promote deep, restful sleep. The effects can be enhanced by combining the tryptophan food with a carbohydrate which helps to make the calming substance more available to the brain by stimulating the release of insulin. This helps to clear other amino acids out of the blood stream so they no longer compete with the tryptophan, meaning more of that sleep-inducing amino acid enters the brain and manufactures the necessary neurotransmitters.
Tryptophan can be found in many foods but to get the best results to induce sleep, choose those high in carbohydrates and calcium (which helps the brain manufacture melatonin) and with medium to low levels of protein including:
• Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk
• Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
• Honey
• Almonds
• Banana
• Seafood
• Meats
• Poultry
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Turkey
• Hazelnuts
• Peanuts
• Avocado
• Eggs
• Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds
• Papaya
• Mushrooms
• Grapefruit
Alternatively, to assure your best chance at getting a good night’s sleep, it’s best to avoid:
• snacks with high levels of carbohydrates and refined sugars,
• foods and drinks with high caffeine levels,
• alcohol,
• nicotine,
• heavy meals close to bed time,
• fatty or spicy foods,
• tomatoes,
• potatoes
• salt, and
• onions.
High protein foods with little or no carbohydrates should also be avoided as protein-rich foods contain another amino acid, tyrosine, a brain stimulant … guaranteed to keep you wide awake.
Now there’s just one more thing for me to say … Good night, sleep tight and mind the bed bugs don’t bite!!
When I was pregnant I had a few issues with sleeping, there were many nights where I just didn’t get a good night’s sleep. I reckon my body was preparing me for the worse … all those nights that were just around the corner when the new baby would demand my attention all hours of the day and night.
And it worked. Mac is over five months old now and still wakes up once or twice a night for a feed … all that practise I got, surviving on just a few hours sleep a night while pregnant is really paying off now!
Anyway, it should come as no surprise that the foods we eat, particularly those eaten late at night can influence our sleeping patterns, determining whether our beauty sleep will be good, bad or indifferent. So here’s a bit of a run down on how to give your body a head start each night just by choosing the right night time snack.
He's been eating his cheese, obviously
If you’re looking for foods that help you sleep, look for those containing a substance called tryptophan. This is the material used by the brain to build the relaxing neurotransmitters melatonin and serotonin, which promote deep, restful sleep. The effects can be enhanced by combining the tryptophan food with a carbohydrate which helps to make the calming substance more available to the brain by stimulating the release of insulin. This helps to clear other amino acids out of the blood stream so they no longer compete with the tryptophan, meaning more of that sleep-inducing amino acid enters the brain and manufactures the necessary neurotransmitters.
Tryptophan can be found in many foods but to get the best results to induce sleep, choose those high in carbohydrates and calcium (which helps the brain manufacture melatonin) and with medium to low levels of protein including:
• Dairy products: cottage cheese, cheese, milk
• Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
• Honey
• Almonds
• Banana
• Seafood
• Meats
• Poultry
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Turkey
• Hazelnuts
• Peanuts
• Avocado
• Eggs
• Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds
• Papaya
• Mushrooms
• Grapefruit
Alternatively, to assure your best chance at getting a good night’s sleep, it’s best to avoid:
• snacks with high levels of carbohydrates and refined sugars,
• foods and drinks with high caffeine levels,
• alcohol,
• nicotine,
• heavy meals close to bed time,
• fatty or spicy foods,
• tomatoes,
• potatoes
• salt, and
• onions.
High protein foods with little or no carbohydrates should also be avoided as protein-rich foods contain another amino acid, tyrosine, a brain stimulant … guaranteed to keep you wide awake.
Now there’s just one more thing for me to say … Good night, sleep tight and mind the bed bugs don’t bite!!
Ahhh ... peace at last.
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Comment by What's Your Story?
What's Your Story?
So You're Getting Married
And yes a warm glass of milk always helps me get those zzz's.
Comment by Portsmouth
Love as always from Pompey xxxxxxx
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
Thanks for the info about food and sleep. I've been doing some reading on sleep and this is very interesting stuff.
Love & stuff
Mrs M