5 Foods to Promote Sleep and Improve Health
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How does the way we eat influence the quality of our sleep? The relationship between diet and sleep is a two-way street. Our diet plays a very important role in the quality of our sleep, and therefore our rest, which has a direct impact on our hormonal system. For instance, a bad night can impact hormones that regulate your blood glucose, hunger and appetite. Long term these can lead to weight gain.
How is sleep connected to overall health?
Why is that so? Let’s go into the basics. When we talk about sleep, we need to highlight melatonin, the hormone that regulates day-night cycles or sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin levels begin to increase a few hours before the usual bedtime, remain high during the night, decrease in the first hours after the usual wake-up time, and remain very low during the rest of the day. Exposure to light during the night causes a reduction in melatonin (whereas darkness during the day does not increase melatonin production).
On the other hand, melatonin has an inhibitory action on glucose tolerance, because it can contribute to the nighttime reduction in insulin sensitivity. This means that the later we eat dinner, the longer it takes for the body to process carbohydrate rich foods properly. Choosing smart carbs at night is key to controlling blood glucose.
Remember the two-way street between diet and sleep? High glucose levels can impair your sleep. Sleep disturbances can alter the production of cortisol, the well-known stress hormone, which decreases insulin sensitivity and causes blood glucose levels to remain higher than usual, leading to a change in hunger and appetite regulation and an increased intake of calorie, fat and sugar-laden foods. Long term this will be reflected in weight gain.
So which food promotes sleep?
- Nuts: Nuts are known to be a low glycemic index food and have a good amount of melatonin.
- Salmon: A major source of proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, which help your blood glucose levels remain low and may increase the sleep-promoting effects of melatonin.
- Plain Yogurt: Yogurts is high in protein and fats which help your blood glucose remain low after a meal and it contains live culture, or probiotics, which enhance the gut microbiota. An unhealthy gut microbiome can cause sleep disturbances.
- Legumes: High-fiber, sleep-promoting foods , this includes lentils, peanuts, beans, peas or chickpeas. They also keep your blood glucose levels controlled and are a great source of iron, an essential mineral that is involved in the brain chemical process associated with sleep.
- Avocado: has high levels of Omega-3 . (see salmon) Omega-3 helps regulate circadian rhythms. In addition, they reduce body inflammation, which is associated with a better night’s rest.
Do you already have a great dinner recipe in mind including those ingredients? Try out a few things and see what works for you and your body.
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