It is increasingly clear that we must take care of our sleep to take care of our health. When sleep fails, many other things begin to fail. We recover worse from exertion and injuries, our skin loses elasticity, we age faster, our immune system weakens and we get sick more often, and the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and cognitive decline increases.
Sleep hygiene, such as regular schedules, sleeping in the dark, or avoiding stimulants and screens before bed are the first steps. However, diet, what we eat, and also when we eat, has a huge influence on sleep quality that we often overlook.
Every time more scientific studies have established a relationship between what we eat and how we sleep, since certain foods and meal times can alter circadian rhythms, metabolism and neurochemical processes involved in sleep.
Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you how you sleep
The quality of macronutrients in the daily diet has a direct impact on a night’s rest. For example, a high consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars, especially the high doses contained in sweets and sugary drinks, can disturb sleep, especially before going to bed.
Foods cause rapid spikes in blood glucose followed by sharp drops. When blood sugar drops, alarms go off in the body, activating hormonal responses such as cortisol releasea hormone that is incompatible with rest, since it is also the hormone responsible for waking us up in the morning. Among others, a recent controlled study found that high carbohydrate diets with a high glycemic load are associated with a increased risk of insomniaeither.
“At night, insulin, the hormone that metabolizes sugar, is more inactive,” explains Dr. Emilio Gómez Cibeira, head of the sleep unit at the Ruber hospital in Madrid. “If we consume a lot of sugar late at night, sleep will be worse.”
At night, insulin, the hormone that metabolizes sugar, is more inactive. If we consume a lot of sugar late at night, sleep will be worse
Emilio Gomez Cibeira
— head of the sleep unit at the Ruber hospital in Madrid
On the other hand, complex carbohydrates, such as those found in vegetables, whole grains and legumes, can promote sleep by providing a more stable release of energy and by stimulating the production of serotonin, a precursor to melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep cycle. sleep-wake. For its part, adequate protein consumption, particularly those rich in tryptophansuch as eggs, fish, and seeds, can improve sleep quality by facilitating serotonin synthesis. In general, diets high in saturated and trans fats, high in sugar, and low in fiber have been linked to a more fragmented and lower quality sleepwith more awakenings and less deep sleep.
“For example, nuts are foods rich in tryptophan, white meats, such as chicken or turkey, or fish, all fantastic,” says Dr. Gómez. “It’s not that they are foods that will put us to sleep, but they can promote the synthesis of the body’s natural hormones.”
When to eat to sleep better
The timing of meals is as important for sleep as the content of the food. Overeating, especially foods high in fat, sugar or spices, shortly before bedtime can cause gastrointestinal discomfort such as reflux, which interrupts sleep in the middle of the night. Additionally, late meals can disrupt the biological clock by altering melatonin secretion and nocturnal metabolism.
According to Dr. Gómez Cibeira, “you should avoid heavy dinners close to bedtime, and try to have dinner a couple of hours before going to bed,” he advises. “But of course, the problem is that we live in Spain, and we have a time zone that does not correspond to the meridian in which we are. The normal thing would be to go to bed at ten and have dinner at seven, but for any Spaniard that is a snack,” he comments.
Foods rich in tryptophan are not going to put us to sleep, but they can promote the synthesis of the body’s natural hormones.
Emilio Gomez Cibeira
— head of the sleep unit at the Ruber hospital in Madrid
Prolonged overnight fasting, on the other hand, can promote better sleep. This means stopping eating several hours before going to sleep. There are studies that They suggest having dinner at least three hours before Going to bed allows the digestive system to finish its task, which can improve the quality of sleep. Likewise, follow a diurnal feeding patternwhere the highest caloric intake is concentrated in the first hours of the day, can help synchronize circadian rhythms.
Alcohol and caffeine
Using caffeine to wake up in the morning and alcohol to help you sleep at night is a particularly harmful pattern, especially the latter. Caffeine, present not only in coffee but also in tea, chocolate and, above all, in large doses in energy drinks, blocks adenosine receptors, a molecule that promotes drowsiness.
Although the effects of caffeine are most intense in the first hours after consumption, it has a half-life of about five hourswhich means that it takes ten hours to be completely eliminated from the body. That espresso coffee at four in the afternoon, or even worse, after dinner, can prevent us from falling asleep if we intend to sleep at eleven at night.
Alcohol has a more subtle effect, and also more harmful. Its effect is calming, so it can cause drowsiness. However, drinking before bed reduces sleep quality, reduces deep sleep stages, and causes more nighttime awakenings. TO medium term, alcohol produces anomalies of circadian rhythms, reduces the total duration of sleep and can cause snoring and sleep apnea.
The effects of caffeine are most intense in the first hours after consumption; it has a half-life of about five hours, which means that it takes ten hours to be completely eliminated from the body.
Improve sleep with diet
Cleansing our diet of ultra-processed foods can be an effective tool to optimize our night’s sleep. “Eating a healthy diet is not that difficult in Spain,” says Dr. Gómez. “Fast food and industrial pastries are terrible for sleep,” he warns.
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats, generally associated with what we know as the Mediterranean diet, has shown significant benefits in population studies on sleep quality. One possible explanation is that following this diet regulates inflammation levels, which contributes to restful sleep.
Additionally, certain micronutrients are essential for sleep. Magnesium, found in foods such as spinach, almonds and seeds, and also in supplement form, has a relaxing effect on the nervous system because it interacts with GABA receptors, the neurotransmitter that induces calm in the brain and promotes sleep. On the other hand, the zinc and the vitamin Dpresent in fatty fish and dairy products, have also been associated with a better night’s rest.
Finally, a nighttime ritual that includes relaxing infusions, such as chamomile or valerian, can also help us prepare the body for rest.
*Darío Pescador is editor and director of the Quo magazine and author of the book your best self Posted by Oberon.
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