Eat, Move, SLEEP Better

The Connection Between Food, Sleep and Dreams

They say not enough sleep is the world's best torture...

Have you ever experienced a restless or unsatisfying night's sleep filled with a vivid dream, leaving you wishing you could stay in bed, pondering whether your dinner, a late-night snack, or a drink played a role in it?

Indeed, the answer is YES! What you eat before bedtime, along with your meals from breakfast to dinner and your exercise habits, can affect your sleep, shape your dreams and will determine how much energy you have the next day.

Even if you're unconscious, there's still a lot happening to restore, repair, and rejuvenate from the hectic and sometimes stressful days. Your glymphatic system requires quality sleep to function efficiently, to ensure you wake up refreshed and ready to go.

CAUTION! If your Glymphatic System is impaired because of your diet, you can be in big trouble.

The glymphatic system is the waste clearance pathway in the brain, akin to the lymphatic system in other parts of the body. It eliminates metabolic waste products and other substances from the brain, and is most active during sleep, especially during slow-wave sleep/REM, and it can't do its job if you are in a wakeful state. The build-up of waste products due to poor sleep has been shown to contribute to and intensify low energy, anxiety and depression and to the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. 

Here are some insights into how your diet can impact your sleep and nighttime experiences.

• Protein: provides the power of tryptophan which helps you relax and sleep better

  Protein-rich foods such as chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cheese, milk, vegetable proteins and nuts and seeds contain tryptophan, which is crucial for the production and balance of brain chemicals related to sleep and relaxation, like melatonin and serotonin. Improved sleep leads to better energy levels and health. Ensuring the right amount of protein in each meal, particularly in your evening meal, can be very beneficial. If you are dairy intolerant an unhappy digestive system can disrupt sleep quality.

  Refer to the Power of Protein chart for more information on recommended protein amounts.

  
  

• Carbohydrates: Eating sugar or processed carbs before bed can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar/glucose followed by a crash, this increases the body temperature and the heart rate, the excess glucose is stored as fat and a feeling of unexplained anxiousness caused by the fight flight action of the sympathetic nervous system can flood you and potentially disrupt your sleep and lead to fragmented, vivid dreams and chronic tiredness.

  Learn How to Reduce Sugar and Carbs the ideal foods to eat LOW SUGAR/CARB/STARCH Grocery List and GUIDE To GLYCAEMIC INDEX (GI) & NUTRITION QUALITY Of FOODS

  
  

• Spicy Foods: might lead to more vivid or disturbing dreams because they can raise your body temperature and cause discomfort during sleep.

  
  

• Avoid a large evening meal

  A common mistake is consuming too much food (good or bad) relative to your body weight at night, which can negatively impact sleep quality and result in waking up tired. A large dinner along with alcohol, followed by sweets, coffee, or tea, is often the result of not providing sufficient nutrition during the day to support all activities so the cravings drive you to eat too much in an attempt to make up for the short fall. It's always too much too late. When your body is occupied with digesting the day's largest meal and detoxifying the drinks, it's like working an additional 8-hour shift.  You might be asleep for 10 hours and still wake up feeling utterly exhausted. Make sure you breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper and you'll sleep like a baby.

  
  

•  Highly processed Fat Foods: (particularly seed oils and fried foods) can affect your sleep by disrupting your sleep cycles and depositing as fat.

  
  

• Caffeine: Coffee or tea can stimulate your nervous system which can mean a longer time to fall asleep. It can also cause you to wake up more, which reduces total sleep time and how well you sleep.

  
  

• Alcohol: While alcohol can make you fall asleep faster, it disrupts sleep stages, leading to less restful sleep by affecting REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is crucial for brain restoration. It can cause frequent awakenings due to its diuretic effect or its impact on the central nervous system and may worsen snoring or sleep apnea. Waking up with a hangover can result in fatigue, headaches, and irritability, affecting your ability to function well and your ability to prevent short and long-term health issues.

  
  

Tips for Better Sleep and Pleasant Dreams

• Balance Your Diet: Consuming a balanced diet of the right amount, of the right whole foods, at the right time of the day and steering clear of late caffeine intake, and heavy meals or snacks just before bedtime, can improve sleep quality and dream patterns.

  
  

• Stay Hydrated: Lack of hydration may cause disturbed sleep and bad dreams, so ensure you drink sufficient water throughout the day and avoid alcohol in the evening.

  
  

• Create a Bedtime Routine: Developing a calming bedtime routine, away from screens, with a warm shower and a darkened room, can indicate to your body that it's time to relax, encouraging a more restful night's sleep.

  
  

• Sip Herbal Teas: Teas like Sleepy Time and certain herbs known for inducing sleep, including catnip, anise, fennel, or chamomile, can help you unwind before bedtime, encouraging a restful sleep to restore your energy. Nonetheless, don't expect these wonderful herbs to offset the impact of a large meal or snacks rich in carbs, processed fats, and alcohol 

  
  

• YES, EXERCISE significantly helps in improving sleep by:

  Regulating Circadian Rhythm:

  It helps manage your body's natural sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm), making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. 

  Reducing Daytime Sleepiness:

  Consistent exercise can decrease daytime drowsiness, enhancing nighttime sleep. 

  Improving Mood:

  It triggers the release of endorphins, which boosts mood, fostering a more positive and relaxed state conducive to sleep.

  Reducing Stress and Anxiety:

  It helps reduce stress and anxiety, which are common obstacles to falling asleep and staying asleep. 

  Increasing Melatonin Production:

  Exercise can boost melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. 

  Regulating Body Temperature:

  Exercise helps regulate body temperature, which is crucial to get to sleep. The post-exercise drop in body temperature promotes sleepiness. 

  Promoting Deeper Sleep:

  Exercise can increase the duration of slow-wave sleep, the deepest sleep stage where the brain and body rejuvenate. 

  Reducing the risk of sleep disorders:

  Exercise can reduce the risk of sleep problems like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. 

  
  

  STRENGTH is Her SUPERPOWER read here

  
  

Don't stop moving, eat well, have a restful sleep and wake up energized for an exciting day ahead.