How To Take Charge Of Your SLEEP!

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Could Your Diet Be Keeping You Awake?

The various connections between what you eat and how you sleep are gaining attention. Research is showing that what you eat or don't eat can, in fact, affect your sleep. Here are some ideas as to how food affects your sleep, and what foods should be eaten or avoided to get a good night's sleep.

Sleep and Weight Gain

Multiple studies have shown that getting adequate, quality sleep may contribute to weight loss, and that not getting enough sleep may contribute to weight gain.

Interestingly, eating less did not help offset the weight gain associated with lack of sleep, according to a large-scale, long-term study on sleep and weight gain. This may be because lack of sleep may affect your metabolism, and when you don't get enough sleep, you produce the stress hormone cortisol, which is said to make you feel hungry.

Stimulants

Eating chocolate, sugar, refined grains, or drinking caffeine during the day and into the evening can have a stimulative effect that goes well into the night. For some people, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives can disturb sleep. In addition, experts recommend that you also avoid the following foods, particularly in the evenings and/or right before bed:

* Alcohol - Ironically, alcohol can disrupt your sleep patterns and make for poor sleep quality. Its diuretic effect (particularly beer) can also disrupt sleep.

* Excessively salty foods - As the kidneys work to rid your body of the excess salt, you will probably find yourself getting up to go to the bathroom during the night.

* Tea, coffee, or cola - The caffeine these drinks contain is not only a stimulant to your nervous system; it's been said to stimulate the kidneys, too.

* Spicy and/or greasy, fried foods - These may cause heartburn.

What Should You Eat?

* Magnesium-containing foods, such as almonds, seeds, black beans, salmon, dark leafy greens and most whole grains are helpful (although if beans give you uncomfortable gas, they should probably be avoided). Magnesium is crucial to muscle and nerve function, particularly muscle relaxation.

* Whole grains and other complex carbohydrates may also promote sleep, as they are said to stimulate serotonin in the brain. 

* Plain, low-fat yogurt with raw honey makes a good bedtime snack. Raw honey is actually purported to promote sleep and even weight loss, while yogurt contains calcium, which is also important to muscle relaxation. Calcium also helps with melatonin production in the body.

* Low-fat cheese can also help promote sleep. Whole grain pasta with a little Parmesan, for example, may be a good night-time meal. 

Tips on Getting Enough Sleep

It's easy to point to your schedule as the reason why you can't get enough sleep. By the time you get a free moment it's bedtime, and you really don't want to go to bed just yet; you need some down time. Then you stay up too late and the cycle continues.

There are all sorts of other reasons, too, for not getting enough sleep. Maybe you have a spouse who snores, or you just have trouble sleeping once you do get to bed (insomnia). Whatever the reason, it's important to make time and create the right environment for getting enough sleep. Here are some tips on how to do that.

It's Bedtime

Remember how your parents pestered you about bedtime? They had a point. Instead of looking at the ever-later clock each night, knowing you "really should" get to bed, set a bedtime and stick with it. Most experts agree that you should go to sleep before midnight, preferably before 11pm.

If this isn't possible, be realistic and set a bedtime when you know you can get it, even if it's midnight or 12:30am. Then be sure you get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep.

Another note about bedtime - if it's too early, that can cause problems too, experts note. If you find yourself fading to sleep at 7 or 8pm, you may find that you wake up in the small hours after only 5 or 6 hours' sleep, and you can't get back to sleep.

Your Bedroom

You may have a set-up in your bedroom that is not conducive to sleep. Here are some things to look for and adjust in your bedroom to make it more sleep-promoting.

* Dark and cool is the rule for a sleepy bedroom. Darkness is important for a proper night's sleep - lights from neighbors' homes, screens (including the TV or computer screen), lamps, and so forth can disturb your sleep patterns.

Cooler temperatures are said to promote sleep. A higher body temperature may actually stimulate the body and prevent sleep, but cool temperatures help promote a comfortable night's sleep.

* Your bed is for sleeping, not working. If you're in the habit of working on bills, office work, etc. while sitting on or in bed, you might be inadvertently training your brain to be stimulated when you are in your bed. Also, it's harder to walk away from work worries if you literally take them to bed with you! Try to keep your work in another room, or at least away from your bed. 

* Keep it quiet in your bedroom. If you have trouble in this regard, use a fan or other source of white noise at night to drown out disruptive sounds.

Make Lists

Do worries keep you awake? Do you have a hard time turning off your brain? Making a list may help. Write down all of those things that are bothering you or that you can't get your mind off of, and note some practical steps you can take in the morning (or during the upcoming day or week) to work those things out. 

It All Starts With Self!!

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