Foods to avoid, and dishes to have you sleeping like a baby
There are foods (and drinks) which harm our sleep, while others enhance it. This guide will help you determine what to avoid and what to make part of your diet.
Alcohol, even in small amounts, can cause fragmented sleep as it leads to dehydration, prompts the need to visit the toilet, and induces heartburn.
Similarly, spicy foods can cause heartburn in people prone to indigestion, so are best avoided in the hours before bed.
Caffeine is a stimulant that blocks the chemicals in the brain that make you sleep. It might be helpful to save your caffiene fix for the morning to kick-start your day. After midday use caffeine-free alternatives.
Foods containing the amino acid tryamine – such as cheese, bacon, nuts, avocado and pepperoni – may inhibit sleep as it contains a hormone, norepinephrine, that can stimulate the brain.
Eating lots of sugar can affect your sleep. The main contributors to increased sugar levels are soft drinks and table sugar added to foods and drinks.
But here’s the good news – there are quite a few foods that heal and will help you to slumber.
The perfect option for an evening meal is one that is rich in carbohydrates (pasta, rice and potatoes) combined with foods rich in vitamin B6 and tryptophan - such as lentils, oily fish, meat and poultry.
Tryptophan is needed to make the melatonin in the brain and that, in turn, makes you feel drowsy. Carbohydrates are important because they enhance the uptake of tryptophan in the body. Vitamin B6 also boosts melatonin production.
Magnesium - found for example in dark, green leafy veg, seeds, and wholegrains, beans and pulses and oily fish – activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and ultimately helps to prepare your body for sleep. Magnesium also regulates melatonin, which guides the body’s sleep/wake cycles. So it’s a good idea to include magnesium-rich foods in your diet.
Calcium – found in dairy products, canned fish, shellfish, and dark green veg – is needed to convert tryptophan to melatonin. Research in the European Neurology journal has shown that disturbances in sleep may be related to too little calcium.
Herbs and supplements can be a useful way to bridge any gaps in the diet that may be impacting on your ability to sleep.
While your first choice of nutrition should always be food, if used in the right way supplements may be beneficial if your diet is lacking a certain nutrient.
If you are considering taking a supplement then do so for a few months then stop for a month to establish if it is helping.