How nutrition can support sleep

Why Sleep Matters

Sleep is as essential for our health as food and water, playing a crucial role in both our physical and mental wellbeing.

While we sleep, our bodies repair themselves, and our brains process the day's experiences, leading to improved memory and concentration. Lack of sleep can negatively impact various aspects of our health, increasing the risk of chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression.

Circadian rhythm

Your body's natural sleep-wake cycle is a key player in regulating your overall health and well-being.

Your circadian rhythm is also an important regulator of metabolic processes. It can influence your energy intake, as well as the process that removes glucose released from food you eat from your blood. It may also affect your body’s release and sensitivity to hunger supressing hormones.

If your circadian rhythm becomes dysregulated due to lack of sleep, trying to restore a regular routine can be a simple and highly effective strategy to help you manage food cravings, improve insulin resistance and possibly help weight loss.

Diet and Lifestyle Tips

• Avoid eating high refined carbohydrate and high sugar foods, such as biscuits, crisps and chocolate later in the evening. These release sugar into the blood quickly, which may trigger release of the stress hormone cortisol and may reduce levels of melatonin.

• Avoid caffeine after mid-afternoon, including cola drinks and dark chocolate

• Maintaining good sleep hygiene, such as regular bedtime and waking and having a cool, dark room. This can greatly influence energy intake, glucose uptake and hunger hormone release.

• Increasing intake of magnesium rich foods. These include nuts, seeds, fish, seafood, beans and legumes, leafy green vegetables and 70%+chocolate.

• Consume foods containing melatonin, or the amino acid tryptophan, especially later in the day to support the body’s own melatonin production. These include poultry (especially turkey), eggs, milk, cheese, fish (especially salmon), nuts, seeds, oats and beans such as baked beans, kidney, soya beans(edamame).