5 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night & 5 Things to Avoid for Sound Sleep – Sleep is important for a body to recover and repair the damages that occur internally or externally. Sleep is important for our physical and mental health. The changing lifestyle has affected the quality of sleep. With better quality of sleep, you perform better the next day. With the change in lifestyle, people suffer from sleeping disorders. There are various types of sleeping disorders. For example, Insomnia, Sleep apnea, Restless leg syndrome, etc. How to improve your sleep quality? There are foods that can help you sleep better. And there are foods that you should try to avoid. Let us see more about how to improve your sleep quality in this article.
5 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night & 5 Things to Avoid for Sound Sleep – The quality of sleep is important. It depends on food and lifestyle. An adult needs at least 7-8 hours, which nowadays has been compromised due to various reasons. Change in work shift is one of the reasons. Working the night shift messes with the circadian rhythm. Not just working, even staying up late at night watching TV, or using mobile phones can disturb your sleep cycle. Well, working night shifts may be necessary but TV or mobile phones are not necessary. The food we eat before bedtime can also affect our sleep quality. Other causes of sleep disorders can be Physical, Medical, environmental, genetics, Medications, Aging, etc.
Sleep deprivation may cause difficulty in making decisions, May affect your daily performance, irritability, and slower reaction time. Some other signs that indicate you might be suffering from sleep disorders are Falling asleep while driving, Struggling to stay awake while watching TV or reading, poor memory, difficulty in performing at the office or school, etc. Sleeping disorder’s signs may vary according to different types of sleep disorders. People suffering from Insomnia struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep. Or may have trouble getting back to sleep if they wake up in between sleep. Therefore, refer to my content below on 5 Proven Tips to Sleep Better and 5 things to avoid.
If you have been suffering from sleep issues for the long term, you may have to take guidance from your doctor. If you have just started noticing that you have been struggling to sleep, then you could try changing your food pattern or lifestyle and these Proven Tips to Sleep Better. Some of the food helps you sleep better. Whereas some food can disturb your sleep and keep you awake. Drinking too much liquid before bedtime can stimulate the urge for urination between sleep. Taking frequent naps during the day can also affect your sleep at night. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates your body’s sleep-wake cycle. Food rich in melatonin may help you sleep better. Let us see more about the food that can help improve your sleep quality.
Before moving forward on the Proven Tips to Sleep Better, I would like to request you to check out various recipes on turmeric milk recipes, Banana dates smoothie recipes, overnight oats recipes, Curd rice recipes, Dry fruit chikki recipes, goodnight drinks 4 ways recipes, etc. You can also check out our categories of recipes like
Food Videos with Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night
Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night – Food
These 5 Proven Tips to Sleep Better is my personal recommendation and there are so many others that you may follow on top of this.
Milk
Milk contains sleep-inducing tryptophan amino acids. This boosts serotonin and melatonin. Melatonin is a chemical that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. As kids, we would have had practice drinking warm milk before sleeping. Drinking warm milk before going to bed may help you sleep better. Milk is not an option for a person with a dairy allergy.
Bananas
Bananas are rich in potassium, magnesium, tryptophan, carbohydrates, Vitamin B, and Fibers. All these may help improve sleep quality through various processes. Bananas help reduce muscle cramps, reduce stress and anxiety, reduce insomnia, increase serotonin and melatonin. Banana becomes a perfect snack before bedtime.
Yogurt
Gastrointestinal issues can cause sleeping problems. When the digestive system is healthy you can sleep better. Yoghurt has probiotics that keep the gut healthy. Yoghurt contains the amino acids tryptophan which is converted into melatonin and serotonin. These hormones help you sleep better. Having a cup of yoghurt before bed may help you sleep better and also help maintain a healthy gut. Yoghurt can be topped with your choice of berries in case eating plain yoghurt is difficult. Yoghurt is not an option for vegan friends or dairy intolerant people.
Kiwi fruit
Kiwi fruit contains vitamin C and E, Other anti-oxidants, and serotonin. The anti-oxidants promote the immune system, helping in the repair and restoration of body cells. Kiwi fruit helps boost serotonin levels. An increase in serotonin can increase melatonin levels, which helps you sleep better. Eating One or two Kiwi fruit one hour before going to bed can help you sleep better.
Almonds
Almonds contain melatonin and magnesium. Both are considered to be key ingredients for good sleep. The magnesium helps reduce the stress hormone which is known to disturb sleep. Melatonin regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Having almonds a few hours before bedtime may help you sleep better.
Food to Avoid for Sound Sleep
There are so many Proven Tips to Sleep Better, but it is better to avoid these as prevention is always better than cure.
Spicy food
Spicy food can cause indigestion. It can lead to heartburn or acid reflux. The symptoms may worsen when you lie down. Thus your sleep is affected. Try to avoid spicy food a few hours before bedtime to promote good sleep.
Caffeinated foods and beverages
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. This increases the state of alertness and keeps you awake. Try to avoid sodas, coffee, caffeinated tea, chocolates, etc before going to bed.
High glycemic food
High glycemic food can cause spikes and drops in blood sugar levels. This can trigger the release of hormones like cortisol, adrenaline which can cause stress, anxiety, and irritability. Thus your sleep gets affected.
Fatty foods
Fatty food might take time to digest. When we sleep digestive system slows down. The food might take more time to digest causing discomfort while sleeping. This can keep you awake at night. Try to avoid fatty food a few hours before bedtime.
Alcohol
Alcohol might help you fall asleep faster. But it causes sleep disturbance later at night. To get a good quality of sleep, try not to consume alcohol a few hours before bedtime. Dehydration can affect your sleep.
Conclusion – Proven Tips to Sleep Better
Maintain a diary to note down your sleep patterns. If you have been struggling with sleep issues for a long duration of time you might have to consider consulting a doctor. If you feel you have trouble falling asleep you could try out eating any of the above food that improves your sleep. Not just Bananas, yoghurt, kiwi, there are also other foods that can help you sleep better. Also, try to strictly avoid the food that you might have been having before bedtime that affects your sleep. Quality of sleep is important for a person to perform better and stay healthy.
Points to consider
- Try to avoid watching TV or Using mobile phones for at least one-two hours before sleep.
- Try to get enough amount of exercise regularly. It makes you sleep better at the end of the day.
- Keep a record of your sleeping patterns. It might be handy if you have to consult a doctor.
- Eat the right food that can help your quality of sleep.