Many of us need coffee, soda or energy drinks to wake up in the mornings. Have you ever wondered if there were things we could consume to wind down and sleep better? According to the centers for disease control and prevention it is said that one third of adults don't get enough sleep. It’s understandable with all the different responsibilities we have as adults, the extra stresses we put upon ourselves, that we need assistance to keep us going. This leads to a cycle of lack of sleep and the dependence on consuming energy. There is a way to get out of this cycle, getting enough good sleep and starting fresh every morning.
There are certain snacks known to help you calm down and sleep better. The most important thing all these foods have in common is the essential amino acid tryptophan. The University of Arizona’s college of medicine’s sleep and health research program says tryptophan has been shown to induce sleep. Tryptophan is such a key player because, in the body, it’s converted into two chemicals associated with sleep: melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin is a chemical that helps regulate the natural sleep and wake cycles. Serotonin causes drowsiness and relaxation.
Some foods which are known to contain high amounts of tryptophan are: egg whites, low-fat cheese, chicken, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or soybeans. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates, lean in protein and low in fat also can increase the production of melatonin and serotonin. Some examples of those foods are granola, unsweetened cereals, bananas, pineapples, and oranges.
Foods that should be avoided before sleeping are foods low in fiber, high in saturated fats and sugars.These foods affect both your ability to fall asleep and the length of time you spend in the deep sleep cycle.
With Thanksgiving coming up we will have plenty of tryptophan in our systems to get caught up on the needed sleep. It’s important to note those foods you typically eat as desserts are the ones you should be avoiding close to bedtime, and some of the typical foods you would eat in the morning are actually making you more tired. If we continued to avoid some of those typical breakfast foods in the morning maybe not as much caffeine would be needed and would also allow you to fall asleep better at night.
This article brings up the important idea of sustaining health through nutrition and regular sleep patterns. As students, we often stay up late studying and get up early for class or work, causing higher levels of stress (cortisol) and also a higher intake of caffeine. You're absolutely right, caffeine can completely get your circadian rhythms off track and cause many problems. In fact, the FDA is investigating reports of illness, injury or death of people who took products marketed as “energy drinks” or “energy shots.” The FDA cautions consumers that products marketed as “energy shots” or “energy drinks” are not alternatives to sleep. While we don't know exactly how sleep can be a restorative process, we do know that it is vital to being a healthy individual. If the foods you mentioned can help I most certainly would be interested in trying it. I would also love to see any studies done on foods like these in regard to sleep too!
ReplyDeletehttps://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/diet-exercise-and-sleep
https://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/SafetyAlertsAdvisories/ucm328536.htm