Eat Healthy to Sleep your Best!

Have you been struggling to get good sleep lately? You could very well be lacking in some essential nutrients and may want to do a reality check on your eating habits.

Scientific evidence confirms a link between diet and sleep. A research by K Peuhkuri, ‘Diet promotes sleep duration and quality’, observes that the foods which help promote sleep are those that impact the synthesis of melatonin and serotonin, and the accessibility of tryptophan.”

Diet coach Sapna Puri who runs a nutrition company called Calorie Conscious says, “The food we consume is integral to our sleep as it ensures proper functioning of our system. It is important to eat the right things for good sleep, especially when trying to improve your sleep pattern.”

Tryptophan and melatonin are required by the body for a healthy sleep pattern. These can be obtained from certain dietary sources. Here is a list of foods, as suggested by Sapna, which helps regulate the sleep cycle-

Food containing B6, the vitamin which helps produce serotonin, the feel-good hormone that keeps you mentally healthy and stay rested.

1. • Fish, especially salmon and tuna, is a good source of B6
   • Bananas, which are also full of potassium
   • Chickpeas, which can be had in the form of hummus to make it more appealing or any form you like
   • Lettuce that contains lactucarium, which has sedative properties
2. Dairy products are important as they are rich in calcium. Calcium helps brain use the tryptophan to manufacture sleep triggering melatonin. Milk, yogurt and cheese have healthy doses of calcium.
3. Good sources of tryptophan are:
   
   • Almonds are rich in magnesium - a mineral required for quality sleep. Contain both tryptophan and magnesium, which is a muscle relaxant.
   • Walnuts have their own source of melatonin. Also an antioxidant and helps you get drowsy at night.

   • Pumpkin seeds ease anxiety, aiding sleep

   • White rice, especially Jasmine rice, has high GI index

4. Easily digestible carbohydrates can be had four hours before bedtime - rice, potatoes, white bread and cereals.
5. Other night time fixes:
   • Raw honey (1-2 tsp) Can be consumed on its own or with Chamomile tea.
   • Chamomile tea. It increases glycine, a chemical that relaxes nerves and muscles.

Some foods to avoid at night would be:

• Pasta and pizza are calorie dense and loaded with large dose of carbohydrates and saturated fat.
• Ice-creams, chocolate cake and cookies.

• Very spicy or peppery foods stimulate senses making it hard to fall asleep.

This wide range of food can offer you a long, uninterrupted sleep; combine it with some of the latex foam mattress that you can check with us.