EAT WELL TO SLEEP WELL

Diet Choices that Promote Better Sleep

According to the Sleep Foundation, as many as 35% of American adults suffer from insomnia or related symptoms preventing them from getting a good night’s sleep. Sleeping well can be affected by many variables in our daily lives, including physical ailments, mental health, light sensitivity, sleep environment, room temperature/weather, activity/exercise level and medications, just to name a few.

However, did you know that your diet and food choices can make a big difference in your ability to sleep well? Diet and sleep have a complex relationship with so many other outlying factors in play, but there are some practical things you can do now to start improving that relationship and get you on your way to better sleep. First, let’s discuss some of the common diet choices that can prevent a good night’s sleep.

Caffeine

It’s common knowledge that caffeine can keep us awake. It’s the reason that many of us like to start our day with a hot cup of coffee! To promote better sleep, begin limiting caffeine in the afternoon and evening to prevent its effects from keeping you up at night. Also, pay attention to possible hidden sources of caffeine that you may not even realize you are taking in, like some “decaf” coffees and teas that can contain more than 13 mg of caffeine in a 16-ounce serving, according to hopkinsmedicine.org. Also, some non-cola sodas, chocolate/cocoa products, and even some ice creams and cereals contain caffeine.

Alcohol

Feeling sleepy after drinking alcohol is a common and well-known side effect … at first. Drinking alcohol less than four hours before going to sleep may help you fall asleep faster but can actually cause you to wake up during the most restorative stages of sleep and worsen symptoms for those suffering from sleep apnea.

 

Late meal/snack time — Although a bedtime snack seems like a comforting idea, it can in fact hinder your ability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. It also increases your risk of acid reflux and indigestion while trying to sleep, causing many to wake during the night due to discomfort.

High-fat high-protein/spicy food

High-fat and high-protein foods take a longer time to digest and break down. This can greatly hinder your ability to fall asleep, especially because digestion slows down by up to 50% when you sleep, causing an even greater risk of indigestion and reflux. Avoid eating spicy food less than three hours before bedtime to avoid heartburn and indigestion caused by acid backing up and causing irritation to your airway when lying down. Also, aged or processed high-fat meats and cheeses contain tyramine, a chemical that triggers the release of norepinephrine. This stimulates your brain and makes trying to rest more difficult. If you do feel like you need a snack before bed, opt for something like oatmeal or whole-grain toast. These complex carbohydrates can trigger the release of serotonin, which promotes sleep.

Now that we have discussed diet choices that can hinder your sleep, let’s discuss some helpful nutrition tips to promote better sleep! Some foods contain sleep-promoting nutrients that will actually help you to fall asleep and feel more rested in the morning. These nutrients are generally found in healthier, nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lean meats and beans. These foods promote good sleep because they are rich in sleep-promoting components, including B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, selenium, serotonin, tryptophan, melatonin, lutein and lycopene. In fact, consuming foods that contain both tryptophan and carbohydrates stimulates the production of melatonin — a chemical that promotes falling and staying asleep. However, this conversion process requires cofactors, including magnesium and B vitamins. Melatonin can be found directly in some foods as well, such as nuts and tart cherries. Let’s take a look at specific food sources of the nutrients we have discussed that help promote better sleep:

• Vitamin B-rich foods: fish, chicken, avocado, mushrooms, some seeds, legumes, chickpeas, bananas, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, citrus fruits.

• Magnesium-rich foods: leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, avocado, pumpkin seeds, brown rice, tofu, bananas, tart cherries.

• Tryptophan: The most well-known source of tryptophan is turkey; however, all meat, including beef, chicken breast, lamb and pork, is rich in tryptophan as well. Some other good sources include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, brown rice, nuts, beans and tofu.

While there are many factors that can affect a person’s ability to fall asleep and get good quality rest, good nutrition and making healthier diet choices is certainly one that is more within one’s control. Making food choices of rich nutrient sources that promote better and more effective sleep as well as avoiding direct sleep-hindering pitfalls within your dietary plan will definitely put you on the right path to begin improving your sleep patterns. It will most likely leave you feeling better and all-around healthier as well. Fueling our bodies in the correct way can affect not only our ability to sleep effectively but also our energy level throughout the day. So, I encourage you to choose to eat well, which will hopefully allow you to sleep well, too!  •

Monica Loughmiller, MS, RD, LD, is a clinical dietitian at Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany. She graduated from Louisiana State University and completed her master’s degree and internship at Louisiana Tech University.

.