Did you know that the foods you choose to eat can have a big impact on your quality of sleep? Your eating choices affect your sleep, and your sleep impacts every other aspect of your life. Your body is the vessel that lifts you through the day. Giving it proper fuel in the form of nutrition and sleep is the key to those days being productive and joy-filled.
So, it sounds like nutrition and sleep must be pretty important! So, let’s take a look at five ways eating properly can help improve your quality of sleep.
Lower Your Saturated Fat Intake
Research has shown that increased consumption of saturated fats commonly leads to lower quality and quantity of sleep. Conversely, lowering your saturated fat intake has been proven to lead to higher quality and quantity of sleep.
These saturated fats are mainly found in animal-based products such as dairy and meat. To decrease your risk of consuming too many saturated fats, consider replacing your animal-based fats with healthier, plant-based alternatives. For example, olive oils, avocados, tofu, and nuts are all wonderful plant-based sources of healthy fats.
Increase Your Mineral Intake
While most nutritional advice tells us to cut things out of our diet, it’s often much more fun to add things into it! For a better night’s rest, make sure that you are getting sufficient levels of minerals in your daily intakes, such as magnesium and potassium.
These minerals have been shown to aid in sleep. They can be found in foods composed of whole grains and certain fruit and vegetables such as bananas and spinach. Incorporate them into your daily nutritional routine for a more restful night.
Don’t Forget the Drinks
We often focus on food when discussing nutrition, and we completely forget about what we’ve been drinking! Alcohol, sugary drinks, and caffeine are all common causes of restless nights. Replace these not-so-nice liquids with water or decaf tea for a relaxing effect.
It’s Dinner Time!
What time do you eat your final meal of the day? Depending on what you are eating and when you are choosing to eat it, your sleep may be affected. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule for how far removed your last meal should be from when you’re going to go to sleep for the night, so try to experiment with this factor and keep track of how your dinner is affecting you.
Do You Like Puzzles?
Nutrition alone is not the answer to every sleep problem you may experience. Overall, lifestyle patterns have a huge impact on your quality and quantity of sleep. Aspects of your life such as your level of stress, your physical environment, and the time of day during which you exercise all contribute to whether you get a good or bad night of rest.
Figuring out what works for you is like a puzzle with hundreds of pieces. Sort out the pieces in your life, and with our help, you’ll be able to put them together. The picture that you will form at the end is one of the best night’s sleep you will ever have.