The diet of a good sleeper

Let’s shine a light on sleep. No doubt many of us have woken up a few Zs short of a picnic – that is how you use that idiom, right?

Not really, but sleep deprivation can easily interrupt your ability to accurately process information, so it probably makes sense to some.

It can also influence your cravings, food choices and your ability to change your body composition. And no doubt some new parents, shift workers, or sufferers of chronic sleep deprivation can provide a few real-life examples.

Because we want to be our best, getting enough sleep is important.

Melatonin is known as the sleep hormone and is primarily produced by the pineal gland in our brain. Melatonin production increases when it is dark and can be suppressed when it is light. This means we are naturally wired to wake in the morning, grow sleepy towards the afternoon and sleep throughout the night.

A precursor to melatonin production is tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in certain foods such as some dairy products, tart cherries, kiwifruit, and walnuts.

The amino acid profiles of these foods are impressive and the consumption of one or a combination in the evening may encourage your brain to produce the stuff dreams are made of – melatonin.

Foods naturally high in magnesium may help, too – foods such as brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, minimally processed carbohydrates and, thank me later, dark chocolate.

While this may be pleasing to hear, the cocoa bean also contains caffeine, which we know as a stimulant. Eating dark chocolate or drinking coffee, cocoa, black or green tea before bed gives you a hit of caffeine that tells your body to do the opposite of what you are trying to achieve – sleep. If you are sensitive to caffeine, assess your intake and modify as needed.

Pain and the coinciding raised inflammatory markers might also be contributing. If you are sore or injured and it is affecting your sleep, go to your physiotherapist.

To support a reduction in inflammatory markers, think about your oily fish intake.

Oily fish is an omega-3 powerhouse and, unlike a lot of plant sources of omega-3, contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which may help to decrease inflammatory markers. I generally recommend people eat three oily fish meals a week, or look for a supplement containing DHA. Note, there are vegan friendly supplements around.

I will always be biased towards nutrition; I am a dietician. But nutrition is one piece of the puzzle and in a lot of cases other lifestyle factors need to be addressed for us to wake up feeling fresh.

Eat and hydrate well, move your body and manage your stress levels. Once you are confident you are doing this check to see how you are sleeping. Hopefully a bit better.

Maggie Radich is a registered dietician.