FOODS THAT HELP YOU SLEEP AND SLEEP BETTER AS WELL AS THOSE THAT DOESN'T.

Hey guys. Welcome to foodieshoppers, thank you for reading my last post about how to achieve a whither brighter teeth without going to the doctors. This post is for those who usually struggle to fall asleep in the night and might end up not sleeping until late in the night or early hours of the morning.

"Sleep is incredibly important for helping to regulate hormones such as leptin and ghrelin—which influence appetite," says Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, founder of NutritionStarringYOU.com and author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club. "We sometimes create a vicious cycle by not fueling our bodies properly, which makes us feel fatigued and leads to eating later in the day, which can then affect our sleep quality—and the cycle continues". It's not just what we eat at night that doesn't prevents you from not sleeping early or sleeping at all but also what you eat all day long. 

Here are some little tips dietitians recommend:

1. Eat breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as your system is just starting for the day and needs food for support. Your system would have stayed for a very long period of hours (9-11hrs) depending on when you start your sleep, so that's why it's called breakfast because it is assumed you were fasting throughout all that time during the night, so, you need to eat and start with something light so as to support system to function better throughout the day. 

According to Jenna Gorham, RD, LN, skipping breakfast isn't an ideal move when it comes to sleep. A 2018 study actually found that perceived sleep quality and sleep onset tended to improve after participants ate breakfast compared with when they didn't eat anything in the morning.

"A balanced breakfast that is low in added sugar and offers fiber, healthy fat, or protein is best for managing energy and blood sugar throughout the day," says Gorham.

2. Limit how much alcohol you drink at night

Caffeine is a stimulant that blocks the substance known for allowing you to feel sleepy, Gorham says alcohol may interfere with your sleep cycles—particularly REM sleep, which is a super important phase that stimulates parts of your brain involved in learning and retaining memories.

According to SleepFoundation.org, since alcohol is a sedative, it may help you to doze off faster. However, since you will likely fall into a deep sleep rather quickly, it can throw off your sleep cycles, creating an imbalance where you get less slow-wave sleep and more REM sleep, thereby decreasing the overall quality of your sleep. As a result, you're more likely to sleep for a shorter amount of time and experience more sleep disruptions. 

3. Not eating enough calories.

It'll make it harder to get enough rest when you've not met your daily recommended nutrients.

"Our bodies often confuse hunger, thirst, and fatigue, so it's essential to consume well balanced, properly spaced meals and stay well hydrated to optimize our energy levels and sleep cycle," explains Harris-Pincus.

Gorham adds that your body is still working while you sleep, which is why it's important to ensure you're consistently supplying it with enough fuel all throughout the day.

"Depriving your body of adequate nutrition will make it work harder or make you feel hungry during the night and impact your sleep cycle," she adds.

4. Be mindful of eating too close to bedtime and don't take too much sugar.

Studies have shown that eating late at night can sabotage your sleep—likely by inhibiting the natural release of melatonin, which plays a crucial role in regulating your natural sleep-wake cycle. Specifically, research suggests that eating within three hours of your bedtime increases the likelihood that you'll experience sleep disruptions—and this is especially important to keep in mind if you have acid reflux.

"If you are prone to experiencing heartburn, it's important to avoid eating within three to four hours of bedtime in order to minimize any sleep disruptions due to reflux symptoms," says Harris-Pincus. In my previous blog posts I wrote about heartburn and how to avoid it too. Keep your dinner light and less fatty.

Some people are different, whether you eat all the fatty food in the world or even skip breakfast or eat late at night they'll still fall so deep asleep but let's try to regulate all of this nevertheless.

After all your days work also make sure to get at least an hour of rest to refresh your system just incase you want to work latter in the night and go for a healthy snack (this can be fruits like watermelon, grapes, berries not pineapple, you can also go for chips) that will help you eating addiction (lol).

Thank you for reading this post, see you in my next. You can reach out to me through my email