01/11Food habits for better sleep
There is quite a famous saying, “You’re what you eat”, taking the essence of the saying, we can understand that food has a great impact on your life. What you eat determines your energy level, your output, the way your body reacts towards different stresses, and how your body fights with environmental changes and illness.
On similar lines, food also has a great effect on not only your sleeping patterns but the quality of sleep. In order to achieve a sound sleep, the dinner should be quite specific, including a few key items while excluding some.
Following are a few foods that can benefit your quality of sleep.
02/11Simple carbohydrates
Low complex carbohydrates such as rice and potato can increase the ability to gain sound sleep. The simple carbs are lighter on your digestive system, making it work a little less hard to break them down. Low complex carbs also trigger serotonin and melatonin, which are required for quality sleep.
03/11Good quality meat
Good quality meat helps in increasing your protein levels which makes you feel full. This in-turn becomes quite beneficial to good sleep. Similarly, organ meat has a lot of nutrients in it, which helps to repair your neurotransmitters. It allows one to attain a relaxing good night’s sleep.
04/11Bone broth
Bone broth is very helpful as it contains Glycine, which is an anti-inflammatory amino acid that has a calming effect on your brain and helps you fall and stay asleep by lowering your core body temperature.
05/11Poppy seeds and nutmeg
Poppy seeds and nutmeg have been long used in Indian households to cure sleep disorders. These ingredients taken separately or together in the form of tea or powder can bring down your stress levels and help you calm down.
06/11Foods to avoid: Caffeine
It’s common knowledge that intake of coffee can disrupt your capability of achieving sound sleep. Having coffee before sleeping or any food with high levels of caffeine content can contribute to prolonged sleep latency, reducing total sleep duration and sleep efficiency, and worsening the quality of sleep.
07/11Alcohol
Intake of alcohol, even a small dose of liquor, can alter GABA and glutamate levels in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, which is the location of the central circadian pacemaker. Sleep becomes quite ineffective for recharging your body after consuming liquor.
08/11Spicy foods
Spicy food can deeply affect your digestive system and should be avoided, especially before sleeping. High spice is known to cause indigestion and worsen symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux which disturbs your sleep.
09/11Extreme levels high/low sodium intake
Many recommend a low sodium diet, but it can actually be detrimental to your sleep. Using an appropriate amount of salt is necessary to keep the stress hormones and adrenaline lower, which results in a good night’s sleep. Also, sodium is a good electrolyte for your body.
10/11To sum up
Sleep is one of the most underestimated activities of the day. Sleep, often considered a hindrance in the hustle culture, is actually an enabler of a productive day. One should take good care of the quality of sleep as it can affect all systems of the body and can ultimately cause burnout. The foods mentioned above will help you achieve sound sleep, which can further provide you with a healthy mind to make better decisions.
11/11Final words
Sleep is one of the most underestimated activities of the day. Sleep, often considered a hindrance in the hustle culture, is actually an enabler of a productive day. One should take good care of the quality of sleep as it can affect all systems of the body and can ultimately cause burnout. The foods mentioned above will help you achieve sound sleep, which can further provide you with a healthy mind to make better decisions.
