2024-01-18 14:58:39
A good nutrition It is essential for good overall health. It helps prevent diseases, such as cardiovascular conditions or some types of cancer. But it is also beneficial at much more specific levels, such as pain or sleep management. The latter is intuitive if we think that drinking coffee late in the afternoon harms sleep, in the same way as very heavy meals. However, the relationship between food and sleep It goes much further than that.
He explained it in The Conversation nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Michigan Erica Jansen. In his article, he details the research he has carried out with his laboratory colleagues and how they have analyzed what habits and foods promote better rest.
He also explains that it is not clear in what order the relationship between food and sleep occurs. That is, does a good diet help us sleep better or does sleeping well give us energy to have good eating habits? This is not known for sure, but there is enough data that sleep is another reason why we should take care of what we eat.
How does diet influence sleep?
There are several types of diet that have been linked to better sleep quality at different levels. Among them stand out Mediterranean and anti-inflammatory. In reality, both are very similar, although the second reinforces those foods with flavonoids, which are substances of plant origin with a very important role in reducing inflammatory markers in the body.
In general, it has been observed that eating a high amount of fruit, as well as healthy fats, quality proteins y Little red meat, added sugars and processed foods helps you sleep better.
There are even specific foods that seem to play a very important role in the beneficial way in which diet influences sleep. It is, for example, the case of fatty fish, dairy products and fruits such as kiwi, cherries, strawberries or blueberries. This is because they promote the synthesis of melatonin, a hormone that helps us fall asleep.
In addition, there are nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, manganese or iron, which also promote rest. The same happens with fiber and proteins, especially those rich in the amino acid tryptophan.
All this does not mean that we should stuff ourselves with cherries and salmon to sleep better. A healthy diet, in general, already includes beneficial nutrients. In any case, it is interesting to know these foods to try to reinforce them as much as possible.
Fruits and vegetables are essential for falling asleep. Credit: Julia Zolotova (Unsplash)
What should we avoid?
The relationship between food and sleep is positive with the foods and nutrients that we have already seen. But there are also foods and habits that cloud that relationship. Of course, the consumption of caffeine, even 6 hours before bed, is one of those habits. But there is much more.
The food ultra-processed or rich in sugars, especially if taken before bed, will cause heavy digestion that prevents us from falling asleep. Instead, the refined carbohydrateslike those in white bread or pasta, are digested so quickly that, in the middle of the night, we will be hungry and possibly wake up.
He alcohol It may seem like a good sleeping pill, but only for the first half of the night. Afterwards, it will generate an effect similar to that of carbohydrates. All this without taking into account the possible hangover the next day, which will also keep us very tired.
What came first, food or sleep?
When we sleep poorly and are not rested, the need to eat unhealthy foods increases. In fact, studies have been carried out with people who work at night, such as doctors on call, and it has been seen that after a night without sleep they have a greater need for junk food.
Therefore, it is not known for sure what incites what. Either way, it is clear that there is a relationship between food and sleep. Possibly, in fact, it is a circleeither. If we eat well we sleep better and if we sleep better it will be easier to continue eating in a healthy way. We now have one more reason to start eating better in 2024. After all, although almost everyone does it to lose weight, there are much more important goals than that.
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