Your Guide To Better Sleep

Everything you need to catch more restful Zzz’s.

Getting enough sleep is a crucial part for a healthy lifestyle and yet so few of us really get enough.  It plays a role in more ways than you would think.  Getting adequate sleep helps fight stress, lower blood pressure, boost our immunity, curb food cravings, and maintain a healthy weight.  Here is your guide to better sleep and a more refreshed morning.

But first, coffee:  Coffee is a great source of antioxidants and delivers a quick boost of energy.  But beware, caffeine has a half-life of 3-5 hours, so if your last cup of coffee is at 3pm, it can still be in your system until 10pm, which can keep you from falling asleep.

• Aim to keep your caffeine between 100mg-300mg a day.  Which breaks down to 1-3 regular sized 8-ounce cups of coffee or 1-4 shots of espresso a day.  Cut the caffeine off by 2pm, and switch to decaf or herbal tea after that.  And keep on eye on your tea, matcha, chocolate, sodas, and energy drinks, as they all have caffeine in them too.

Eating for sleep:  These 3 nutrients will help get you more restful, deeper sleep at night.  Boost them in your diet throughout the day, but especially at dinnertime.

• Work more tryptophan into your meals by eating turkey, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, or milk.  Tryptophan is an amino acid that boosts the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.  Have some roast turkey or chicken for dinner with sautéed vegetables, or make breakfast for dinner with an egg and veggie scramble or omelet.
• Add the calming effects of magnesium into your routine by eating nuts, nut butters, pumpkin seeds, spinach, and dark chocolate.  Sprinkle pumpkin seeds or nuts onto your salads at lunch and dinner, eat 1 ounce of 70% cocao (or higher) dark chocolate for something sweet after lunch, or have an apple with nut butter as your afternoon snack.
• B vitamins also boost your bodies production of melatonin, helping you fall asleep faster.  Get your B’s from whole grains (like quinoa, brown rice, whole grain bread), eggs, cheese, nutritional yeast, and fish.  Try grilled salmon with quinoa for dinner or add nutritional yeast to your vegetable stir-fry.

Snacking for sleep: If you’re someone who makes up in the middle of the night, than having an evening snack after dinner may help you stay asleep. These snacks will do the trick without throwing your health goals off track.

• 1/2 cup of dried cherries (or fresh ones in the summer) with 2 tbsps. of pistachio nuts.  Cherries boost melatonin, while the pistachios offer you that relaxing magnesium and B6.
• A small banana with 1 tbsp. of almond butter.  Banana’s are another great source of that magnesium-B6 combo.  Pairing it with a little protein from the nut butter will help to keep your blood sugars even, preventing you from waking up in the middle of the night.
• One part-skim mozzarella string cheese and about 8 small whole grain crackers.  The dairy is high in sleep-inducing tryptophan and magnesium, while the crackers add in those B vitamins.

Adjust your sleep routine:

• Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
• Set a sleep routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (within 30 minutes), even on the weekends.
• Watch the booze.  Alcohol may help you pass out quickly, but it ultimately disrupts your sleep cycle.  Too much alcohol prevents you from getting quality sleep that has you feeling refreshed in the morning.  Instead, it wakes you up periodically throughout the night.  Keep it to 1 glass at dinner and amp up your water intake during the meal to balance it out.
• Shut-down the screen time.  Avoid your ever-present screens for at least 1 hour before bed.  This means your phone, tablet, computer, and TV.  Instead try winding down by reading a book, listening to music, meditating, or taking a warm shower or bath.

For more health and wellness tips, book an appointment and get your own customized nutrition plan tailored to your specific needs for healthier living, eating, and sleeping.

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