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Diet and a good night’s sleep
When we sleep, the growth hormone stimulates proteins to build new cells and fix those damaged during the day. Sleep gives us the opportunity to regenerate our bodies, it also has a beautifying effect on us. The lack of it can lead to lowering the quality of life, causing irritability and drops in concentration. A person’s individual biorhythms as well as a healthy diet influence the quality of sleep. It’s helpful to pay attention to what’s served up on our plates.
Friends of a good healthy sleep Rational and sensible meal planning will help us get rid of insomnia. The last meal before bed should be something light and should include something containing tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that increases the body’s levels of serotonin and melatonin - the hormones responsible for relaxed rest.
Enriching our diet in carbohydrates affects the serotonin’s secretion and it seems to be the essential method. Serotonin, also known as a ‘happiness hormone”; maintaining its proper level will allow us to relax and fall asleep more easily . Food products rich in starch are great sources of carbohydrates, e.g. flour, bread, rice, corn, pasta, potatoes, melons, barley and oats.
The lack of B group vitamins is the causes us troubles in falling asleep; special attention must be paid to the B12 vitamin, which determines the nervous system’s proper functioning. The main sources of the B12 vitamin are meat, cold cuts, offal, fish, egg yolks, and dairy products. Additionally, the proper level of magnesium in our bodies will help us fall asleep more easily. A lack of this element can be compensated by eating nuts, soya, buckwheat porridge, bananas, cocoa, and sesame seeds.
Another vitamin responsible for proper sleep – is B6. It’s present both in vegetable products and in animal ones. A lack of it may cause depression. Sleeping disorders can also be caused by a lack of vitamin B, which is mainly present in vegetable products. We can find it in cereals, wholemeal bread, dry legumes, egg yolk, meat, offal, fish and dairy products.
Products that make it more difficult to fall asleep
First, we should remember that the last meal we have, should be at least 2-3 hours before recess. We should give up fatty dairy, as well as fried or roast dishes, since they stimulate digestion and remain in our stomachs for longer times, causing heaviness.
A huge enemy of sleep is caffeine. Most of it can be found in coffee, but you can also find it in chocolate, strong tea, energy drinks and coca-cola. Larger amounts of caffeine wash away the minerals from our bodies, especially calcium and magnesium. In addition, spicy or very sweet dishes can stop us falling asleep and often, eating them can lead to heartburn. We should avoid alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Alcohol initially causes sleepiness but later disturbs deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Try to avoid products containing saturated fatty acids, which can be found in cheese, red meat, offal and fatty dairy products.
An evening meal should not contain tyramine which stimulates adrenaline secretion. Adrenaline is responsible for blood pressure increases, it speeds us up the heart’s action, which generally, doesn’t help us fall asleep easily. Products rich in tyramine are cheeses, chocolate, overripe bananas, marinated, smoked and salty fish, soy sauce and some kinds of wine.
- Prepare your bed: a proper cover and a comfortable pillow are important for the quality of sleep.
- Just prior to bedtime, air the bedroom.
- An aromatic bath in the evening relaxes not only the body but also the soul.
- Try not to go to bed too late and get up at about seven in the morning.
- Remember that the last 5 minutes before bedtime determine the quality of your rest. Therefore you should try to think about pleasant things then.
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