“Conscious” eating and its relation with Good Sleep

While we spend so much time perfect mattress and investing in one, it is equally important to discipline our habits to ensure we sleep well.

Healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in our quality of life. By opting to use top rated bed mattresses and adapting healthy eating habits can help to get better sleep.

Healthy living largely involves healthy eating. The right eating habits can help us feel light and happy and even ensure we sleep peacefully. After all when our body is overloaded with food and toxins, we begin to feel sluggish and it is but natural for us to then get restless and depressed.

Remember it is not just “what you eat” but your overall eating habits that go a long way in ensuring good health, good sleep and quality of old age.

Eating unconsciously as against choosing to eat a healthy or balanced meal makes all the difference.

Nitin Dixit of GreenR store & café, that promotes a healthier lifestyle, says, “While we are young, we tend to get away with more indiscretions when it comes to our food habits. However, that does not mean that our bodies don't accumulate toxins which eventually give rise to disease”. Hence eating a healthy or balanced diet where one is conscious about their food is pivotal to staying disease free and overall well being.

Best time to Eat

Equally important is timing, especially when it comes to eating close to bedtime as our digestion slows at night and sleeping on a full stomach, as opposed to the old precept, is anything but wise. An international consensus shows Breakfast should ideally be had by 8am, Lunch at 1pm and Dinner latest by 7pm. Various traditional and Indigenous medicine systems usually suggest that one should be in bed by 10 pm, or within 3-4 hours of sunset, hence an early dinner makes sense.

The body has its own cycles of activity, rest, and rejuvenation which are closely tied to the cycles of the sun and moon. Some of these important cycles take place during sleep and if our sleep patterns are irregular or the quality of our sleep is not sound, then it has an immediate impact on our health. For example, if we don't sleep well, we can feel this simply in terms of the levels of energy that we have available during the day. However, continued patterns of bad or irregular sleep can give rise to disease as well.

What to eat and How much-

Finally, there is also a link to what we eat as we approach bed time. Nitin says, “It is generally recommended that we avoid fruits in the evening/night hours due to their high sugar content. Also, any type of other sugars should also be avoided as these can disturb sleep at various levels”.

Equally important is the quantum and quality of food we eat at night.

“Generally, we should eat lighter food in smaller portions so it is easily digested and doesn't make us sluggish. This will ensure that we sleep the right amount and more importantly are able to wake up ready to go about our day,” advises Nitin.