
What you eat affects the quality of your sleep
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Even someone who eats well and exercises regularly can be prone to metabolic problems if they don't get enough sleep.
Just as sleep affects our metabolic health, our dietary choices, including what, when and how we eat, can affect the quality of our sleep. So it's a two-way relationship.
Today we will look at what makes sleep such a powerful factor in metabolism and how our eating habits influence our sleep.
Studies show that sleep-deprived people tend to choose foods with sugar and unhealthy fats, such as fast food. This food can compensate for the laziness and tiredness that comes with a night of poor sleep, but it also increases daily calorie intake by up to 20%.
Poor sleep disrupts metabolism and can also lead to other conditions.
What exactly causes metabolic disorders
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Stay up late. By not getting enough sleep, you don't get the recovery that sleep provides because your brain and body have to be active and alert for longer. Your body will then require more energy, so you have to compensate for this extra wakefulness by consuming calories.
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Eating at night, when the body expects to be sleeping, can also lead to weight gain. In one study, mice whose eating patterns were shifted from daytime to nighttime — they ate during their evening hours and fasted during the day — experienced a 48 percent increase in body weight. Mice that ate the same calorie-dense meals during the day only gained 20 percent more weight over a six-week period.
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Changes in behavior . When we are fatigued, the quality of our decisions may be affected, making it easier to consume foods that we would not normally eat.
Hormones play a role in all of this : production of the hunger hormone ghrelin increases when we're tired. And lack of sleep inhibits production of leptin, the satiety hormone that signals the brain that the body is feeling full. With little or no leptin, we don't get the signal that we've had enough to eat.
Lack of sleep can cause insulin resistance
Not getting enough sleep causes an increase in cortisol and alters insulin sensitivity. According to physician Myrto Ashe, MPH, prolonged periods of inadequate sleep can lead to chronic insulin resistance, which could eventually lead to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. ( 1 )
Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown that type 2 diabetes is twice as common in adults who regularly report insufficient sleep; the connection between short sleep duration and type 2 diabetes is independent of other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, and family history. Once type 2 diabetes develops, studies have shown that this disease reduces the amount and quality of sleep. ( 2 )
Changes in the microbiome due to sleep deficit
Animal studies have found a link between inadequate sleep and changes in gut flora that trigger inflammation and affect insulin sensitivity. ( 3 )
They have also shown that obstructive sleep apnea – a nocturnal breathing disorder associated with snoring and poor sleep – decreases the levels of bacteria that produce butyrate. Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, has been studied for its health-promoting properties: It improves sleep without rapid eye movements, that is, the phases in which the body enters deep sleep and performs its work of tissue repair.
Low butyrate levels can lead to a self-reinforcing cycle of insomnia and compromised gut health.
4 habits that can influence the quality of your sleep
Meal times
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Allow 3-4 hours between your last meal and going to bed. We tend to sleep better in a relatively fasted state. Many metabolic processes occur after eating that can disrupt sleep, according to Dr. Chris Winter, author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It .
A heavy meal just before bed can also prevent your heart rate from dropping to its lowest point, which can lead to less restful sleep. This can have concrete implications for fitness and performance: A heart rate that reaches its lowest point during the first half of a night's sleep is correlated with better athletic recovery.
Food choices
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Hummus, nuts, full-fat yogurt and salmon promote sleep because they contain tryptophan, which the body naturally converts into calming serotonin and sleep-inducing melatonin.
High glycemic foods, such as rice and pasta, are also known to increase tryptophan levels in the brain. These foods do not contain tryptophan, but they do increase insulin levels; insulin helps tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier.
In fact, research suggests that eating a small carbohydrate-rich meal or snack at night helps some people fall asleep more quickly. The tricky thing is that carbohydrates can also disrupt your sleep. How they affect you depends on many factors, such as how much you eat and your particular metabolic characteristics.
If you're sensitive to sugar, carbs can trigger excessive insulin production, which causes blood sugar to drop. These crashes signal the release of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter associated with alertness, explains Dr. Jose Colon, MPH, who specializes in pediatric sleep disorders.
If, after eating a cookie late at night, you experience a drop in blood sugar while you sleep, you may get a shock of norepinephrine, which can wake you up—and keep you awake.
Still, it's important for anyone with blood sugar regulation issues, such as diabetes and hypoglycemia, to maintain stable blood sugar levels at night. This can mean eating a simple, blood sugar-stabilizing snack before bed. A complex carbohydrate with a healthy fat, such as a stick of celery with a bit of almond butter, is one example.
As for everyday foods, people who have trouble sleeping can look for whole foods that contain high levels of the brain-calming amino acid GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). These include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms and spinach. GABA promotes relaxation.
Long-term calorie restriction can also disrupt sleep. "People who follow very low-carb diets for long periods of time often complain that they wake up between 1 and 3 a.m. and feel very hungry," to note.
Late night meals that keep blood sugar levels stable contain enough healthy fats and proteins to balance out any complex carbohydrates on your plate.
The ideal proportions of healthy fat, protein and carbohydrates will depend on your individual needs. Every person is different and finding the right ratio of macronutrients takes a little experimentation. The key is that you go to sleep feeling satisfied, neither too hungry nor too full.
People on vegan, vegetarian, or grain-free diets may be lacking in certain sleep-promoting amino acids such as tryptophan or histidine. If you suspect that you may have a deficiency in these amino acids and that it may be affecting your sleep, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider about supplementing the deficiency with foods and perhaps supplements.
Alcohol consumption
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Both alcohol and any substance that affects the brain, such as sleeping pills, antidepressants, or anxiety medications, disrupt the natural functioning of the brain. These substances produce sedation that may feel like sleep, but does not provide its benefits.
If you still have trouble falling asleep, you can try magnesium supplements such as magnesium glycinate, chamomile tea or passionflower.
Foods that positively and negatively affect your sleep
Learn about the micronutrients that positively affect sleep
According to the Nutrition Institute at the University of Texas at Austin ( article ), several essential micronutrients have been found to affect sleep duration and quality.
Deficiencies in vitamin B1, folate, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and selenium have been associated with reduced sleep duration. Low levels of selenium, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C and lycopene have also been linked to poor sleep quality and maintenance.
Increasing zinc-rich foods, in particular, has been shown to improve the ability to fall asleep and sleep better.
The amino acid glycine, as well as magnesium, sodium, potassium and electrolytes in general are well known to reduce cortisol, modulate the stress response and improve sleep quality.
Foods that help you fall asleep:
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Milk
It is high in tryptophan, calcium and other essential minerals. People who are sensitive to dairy products can try goat or sheep milk to see if they tolerate it better.
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Kiwi
They are high in antioxidants, high in vitamin C and E, and are one of the few foods that contain high levels of serotonin, which has been linked to improved sleep. Research in Taiwan has indicated that two kiwis consumed one hour before bedtime for four weeks produced the results of improved sleep. ( 4 )
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Sour cherries/juice
Tart Montmorency cherries have a high concentration of melatonin. In experiments, an increase in tryptophan availability, a reduction in inflammation and, consequently, an improvement in insomnia were found in participants who drank tart cherry juice. ( 5 )
Foods that interfere with sleep
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Caffeine is known to disrupt sleep and is found in coffee, soft drinks, black or green tea, or when eating chocolate. If you are looking to improve the quality of your sleep, you can still consume them in small quantities and early in the day so that they do not affect your sleeping hours.
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Processed sugar with low fiber content such as candy, cookies, cakes, sugary cereals, etc. are not good for your health or sleep quality. A study of Japanese women found that a diet rich in candy and noodles was associated with poor sleep quality, while a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and vegetables was associated with better sleep quality. ( 6 )
Eating consciously
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This recommendation is not often talked about, but it is important to be mindful of how you eat. Really, take your time eating, chew every bite, use all your senses to experience the food and allow it to be a time to share in harmony with your family or friends.
Rush eating overstimulates the sympathetic nervous system which increases stress hormones and negatively impacts digestion. By taking the time to eat your food, you stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system which allows you to digest food properly and properly assimilate the nutrients your body needs.
Go from the vicious circle to the virtuous circle
What you eat, as well as your eating schedule, definitely affects the quality and duration of your sleep. Take the time to review your diet, the timing of your meals, and whether your sleep is truly restful or whether you need daily stimulants to be able to perform your daily activities.
Conscious eating, both in terms of food choices and the times at which you eat them, and dedicating the hours your body needs for restful sleep can significantly change your health.