Sleep is essential for maintaining the healthy welfare of every individual. Sufficiently long, restful sleep sessions are the cornerstone of good health.
Why do you need a proper sleep?
Sleep offers your body and brain time to restore and recover by affecting nearly every tissue in your body for sustenance. Sufficient sleep is important to have energy to do any work. Sleep also helps to improve your mental and physical health benefits by regulating neurological processing and refreshing physiological functions, forming a basis for a healthy living.
Relationship between dietary intake and quality of sleep
Dietary intake is believed to play an important role in the wellness of sleep. This relationship between dietary intake and its effects on sleep depends upon the composition of food along with your metabolic ability for the utilization of these foods in your body. Thus, it is important to ensure that you have a beneficial dietary pattern for better sleep quality. Using dietary interventions is the most inexpensive and convenient way to manage your diet for a better quality of sleep.
Guidelines to eat right for better sleep
- Be sure to give your body time to digest after eating large meals. Try having dinner earlier in the evening.
- It was found in a study that people who consumed cherry had significant improvements in total sleep time and sleep efficiency. Seafood consumption which mainly includes zinc-rich oysters also results in improved global sleep quality.
- Role of carbohydrates in sleep has mixed results. High-carbohydrate meals with high glycemic index can affect one’s sleep quality. Higher fiber content in food was associated with lower prevalence of disturbances that affect sleep quality. Consumption of high CHO diets, which include tryptophan, melatonin, and phytonutrients indicates improved sleep quality and quantity.
Increased fat consumption is not associated with any adverse sleep symptoms. However, a low-fat diet leads to non-restorative sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Vitamin B1 has been shown to reduce daytime sleep, improve sleep patterns, and increase activity. Vitamin B9 also helps in improving sleep.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a higher risk of sleep disorders including poor sleep quality, short sleep duration, and sleepiness. Thus, intake of Vitamin D is essential for a good sleep. Vitamin D is traditionally obtained through sunlight; however it is also found in fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, as well as egg yolks and beef liver.
There is a relationship between Vitamin C intake and sleep wellness i.e; long sleepers have high plasma levels of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is found in citrus, but cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts etc.
- “Phyto” is from the Greek word for plant, and phytonutrients refer to nutrients made by plants. Daily intake of plant nutrients has been positively associated with optimal sleep duration and quality. This intake of phytonutrients is best obtained by consuming a variety of plant food sourced of different colors.
- Food diversity Diets: The Mediterranean Diet, is plant-based diet incorporating lean meats and high-fiber foods, has been found to improve heart health and sleep quality.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet (DASH) diet which is designed to reduce blood pressure involves reduction of salt and saturated fats along with addition of whole foods with high levels of fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Individuals who follow this diet also attain better sleep.
However, other dietary approaches that balance macronutrients and ensure adequate vitamins and minerals may also have similar effects of improving sleep quality. As the effects of dietary changes on numerous systems of the body, it’s important for anyone who is considering starting a new diet to talk with a doctor or nutritionist who can review their nutrition plan and its benefits and downsides in their specific situation.