6 Diet Tips That Help You In Sleeping Better

In comparison to our ancestors, we all have distorted our sleep patterns due to our hectic schedules and accumulation of stress. We have made ourselves multi-taskers and amidst juggling with multiple responsibilities, we have ignored the important health aspect called sleep. Sleep helps in rejuvenating our mind and body senses while repairing the stressed muscles. Sound and sufficient sleep is essential for carrying out a new day’s task with high level of activeness.

Many studies have found that the basic reasons for inadequate sleep are stress, anxiety, wrong sleeping habits, use of smartphones or tech gadgets on bed, body’s chemical interactions with medication, consumption of junk food or caffeine at night, etc. In fact, researches have revealed that lack of sleep causes changes in our metabolism system in a way that we tend to have increased secretion of hunger causing hormones and a reduction in fat loss hormones. This implies that inadequate sleep can be one of the reasons why you are putting on extra weight!

If you are opting for sleeping pills to catch more sleep, then you need to know that there are some foods that aids in better sleep. So here are 6 diet Tips that help you in sleeping better:

1. Have Light & Easily Digestible Dinner

Your dinner should not comprise of complex nutrients such as high protein or fats that can cause indigestion or acidity at night. Since you don’t have any physical activity lined up for night as in case of day, you must consume less calories that can be easily burnt. Thereby, avoid having deep fried foodstuffs or animal meat so that they don’t become a burden on your stomach. The process of digestion is slower during the night and sleeping requires very less energy. So have smaller portions of sprouts, green leafy vegetable salad, soup, whole grain bread slices, etc. Having salads made with leafy vegetables have high amount of tryptophan which aids in production of serotonin hormone that promotes sleep.

2. Have Handful Of Nuts

Many people have the habit of carrying a handful of nuts with them just to have them as snacks. This practise not only curbs your untimely food cravings but also helps you in getting more sleep. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashew-nuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, etc are rich source of magnesium, a mineral that not only helps in controlling blood pressure and blood sugar level, but also acts as a relaxant. In fact, one of the main reasons why you have become insomniac is lack of magnesium in your body. Start consuming some nuts at frequent intervals everyday to enjoy a revitalising sleep.

3. Consume A Glass Of Warm Milk

The widely used method to feel asleep faster is drinking warm milk. More than physiological fact, it is a widely perceived psychological fact that consuming warm milk at night induces sleep hormones to activate. Since milk is rich in amino acids, many medical studies thought that the amino acid called tryptophan converts into serotonin hormone to make you sleep faster. But recent researches have found that amino acids found in milk in fact, disturbs the process of sleeping. Still many people gulp down a glass of warm milk and it works for them as a sedative. It actually helps in relaxing the mind from the stress and anxiety issues and many people have made drinking milk at night as their ritual owing to which they fall asleep on their scheduled time.

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4. Avoid Having Caffeine At Night

The consumption of caffeine in the form of tea, coffee and colas has witnessed a stupendous rise in the recent years. Owing this busy lifestyle, we have become accustomed to drinking more of tea and coffee to perk our energy levels and to get rid of sleep during the day. But drinking more than 2 cups of caffeine each day can disrupt your sleep patterns and is one of the vital reasons why you are unable to grab enough sleep at night. Quitting coffee can be difficult and initially you may feel headaches, irritability and lack of energy. But you can gradually quit coffee by reducing the amount and then by substituting them by green or lemon tea so that it will help you in providing the required zing to the body.

5. Avoid Over Consumption Of Alcohol

It has become a habit for many people to have alcohol with their dinner. However, a glass of wine or champagne won’t harm much but over consuming alcohol can truly disturb you at night. You may initially feel sleepy after drinking your favourite adult beverages but you may experience an uncomfortable night. You may get awake at night and may find difficult to sleep back again. Moreover, you may feel bloated or the alcohol may become a cause for indigestion of food. You surely don’t want your rest to compromised due to health issues. If you cannot control your temptation for alcohol, then consume limited amounts such as not more than 12 ounces of beer or one shot of liquor or five ounces of wine. It would be best if you limit it for the weekends only.

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6. Have Corn Flakes Or Oats

The best way to avoid all confusions relating what to eat and what not to eat is by eating some light yet yummy snacks. Snacking at night with healthy substitutes such as cereals, corn flakes, oats with fruits or fruit juices or some whole grain bread with egg whites are some of the trial worthy methods to boost your serotonin levels as they have some complex carbohydrates that help the body to relax.