Alcohol, drugs and medications, caffeine and sugar can affect the quality of your sleep as these are all stimulants and increase the burden on the liver to detoxify the harmful chemicals that are in these substances.
This can reduce the ability to sleep deeply at the time when the brain is cleansing and resetting. The post drinking effects of alcohol are made far worse if the diet is lacking essential nutrients like Vitamin C and B Vitamins as well Omega3 essential fatty acids.
Given that the Western diet is full of processed and denaturalised foods, excessive amounts of animal products and grains that can have a detrimental effect on gut health, energy, sleep and wellbeing, it’s no wonder there is an ever-growing number of people, young and older with mental health issues. It’s great that society is listening, accepting and supporting those with mental health issues but many are offered medications without factoring in what effect their diet and lifestyle is having.
The UK insomnia statistics found that:
• 36% of UK adults struggle to get to sleep on a weekly basis
• Almost 1 in 5 have trouble falling asleep every single night
• Sleep deprivation affects women more than men
Disturbingly, more young people than ever are suffering from sleep deprivation according to a BBC report and although addressing depression helps in 50% of cases, other factors appear to be affecting sleep. Screen time, late nights, anxiety and information overload are high up the list. It’s getting harder to change these factors in today’s society, but addressing diet, nutrient deficiencies, exposure to alcohol, irritating foods and sugar, at the same time increasing healthy exercise, these are some areas that will pay sleep dividends in teens and adults.
Here’s a quick guide to getting better sleep through better nutrition:
Reduce Caffeine – even one coffee in the morning can still affect sleep later at night. Investigate where you might be getting caffeine as you may be surprised, weak black tea or green may be okay, but chocolate, cereals, ice cream and other products contain caffeine, also some decaf coffee still contains caffeine.
Remove/reduce Alcohol – although this can make you sleepy and relaxed early on, in the middle of the night when your liver is detoxing you may wake up due to heat and sweating as this process takes a lot of energy and causes fatigue the next day.
Remove Processed cheese and meats – these contain tyramine that triggers the release of stress hormone which may stimulate the brain and wake you up and can keep you up!
Reduce animal protein and large portions - Digestion slows down by 50% past 6pm so eating large portions of protein at night is not ideal for sleep.
Reduce Fatty foods – Fried foods, fatty meat, nuts, buttery and creamy deserts all burden the liver and make digestion very hard especially at night, excess or damaged fats also increase inflammation which can exacerbate sleeplessness.
Complex carbohydrates can support sleep – an important energy source as the brain needs a constant steady supply of glucose and carbohydrates are the preferred source. Eating a snack of oat cakes (Nairn’s style), apples, pears, pumpkin seeds, semi-ripe bananas just before sleep can be helpful as this can keep blood sugar steady which is great for a good night’s sleep.
The ‘Circadian’ Rhythm depends on the amino acid Tryptophan as a precursor to melatonin and serotonin which regulate sleep and mood. Consuming foods that contain Tryptophan supports this pathway like cherries, bananas, oats, pumpkin seeds closer to bedtime and animal products like fish, turkey and organic chicken and eggs at least 3 hours before going to bed or even better consume earlier in the day.
Address Deficiencies of Magnesium, Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamins A (Beta-carotene), C, E and K and other important plant nutrients and antioxidants are now thought to be a major factor in sleep quality. Unfortunately, we are less able to get the nutrients from a normal carb and meat heavy western diet. Make sure you consume nutrient dense foods and increase healthy vegetables and fruits.
Foods to add to increase micronutrients that aid sleep:
Kiwi fruit, spinach, kale, seeds, walnuts, berries, red cabbage, brown rice, oats, dried prunes, dried organic apricots, sprouted microgreens, molasses, manuka honey, turmeric, ginger and organic whole grain tahini.
I also recommend taking high quality supplements if you want to really support your sleep, in particular Magnesium just before bedtime and Vitamin C throughout the day. Consult a Nutritional Therapist for further advise on supplements that support sleep and to find out if you have any deficiencies.
Timing - when you eat your evening meal is crucial to a good night’s sleep:
How much time you allow for digestion and detoxification before going to bed is very important. Salty foods late at night can cause increased heart rate, water retention and thirst all adding to a sleepless night. This does also include eating takeaways before bed. They are the perfect storm – high salt, low nutrient and fibre, cheap animal products, processed gluten containing foods, high fat and normally in large portions.
Lifestyle habits that support good sleep:
• Reduce screen time and avoid looking at emails after 8pm.
• Regular exercise
• Guided meditation
There is no doubt that diet can affect sleep in adults and young people and by making simple dietary changes may really help improve sleep and therefore mental health and wellbeing.
By Sam Bourne DipNT mBANT CNHC NTC
Nutritional Therapist
For more information contact:
info@foodspa.org.uk
Website: www.foodspa.org.uk