Getting a good night of sleep has become an important issue in the lives of many individuals in this fast-paced world. Lack of sleep, insomnia or just occasional non-sleep attitude can negatively impact your well-being and mental peace. Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep on regular basis is essential for a proper healthy lifestyle.
Sometimes it so happens that we are feeling sleepy yet are unable to fall asleep. This problem can be remedied by eating food items that promote sleep. Food plays a great role in our sleep cycle and by including certain items in our meals we can qualitatively improve our sleep and also fall asleep faster.
Negative Effects of Losing Sleep
If you are overdue on work and need to meet deadlines, or have tasks that need done, staying awake can be quite enticing. After all, everybody does it now and then.
However, sleeping for fewer than 6 or 7 hours each night on a regular basis could be harmful to the body. Poor sleep can cause us to be snappy, easily distracted and feeling tired all the time. Chronic effects can completely disrupt a person’s way of life. Lack of sleep has been related to a number of major health problems, including cancer, according to research. People who are exposed to light at night while working have their circadian rhythm disrupted, their melatonin (hormone which regulates sleep) suppressed and are also immune suppressed. This opens them up to a sleuth of health problems and an increased risk of different types of cancer.
Humans are resting less than they used to, and the consistency of their sleep has deteriorated. There can be plenty of reasons which disrupt your normal sleep schedules.
This lack of sleep can:
- Negatively impact both short and long-term memory; this is because while we sleep our brain processes and forms connections that help us remember new information.
- Impact our ability to focus, concentration, problem-solving skills and even your creativity; we are most creative when we are relaxed and ideas and thoughts can flow freely.
- Cause frequent mood swings. It makes you moody, emotional and easily irritable. Chronic sleep loss has been linked to anxiety and depression.
- Make you more accident-prone, which is especially risky when driving.
- Weaken your immune response and make you prone to easily falling sick.
- Increase your risk of high blood pressure, higher blood sugar and consequently higher risk of type-2 diabetes, heart diseases and also weight gain.
- Cause a drop in testosterone levels and thus lower sex drives.
To avoid these issues, we should ensure stable sleeping patterns and follow our natural circadian rhythm.
Why Good Sleep Is So Important
Getting enough sleep is critical to how we function throughout the day. Good sleep is as critical as having timely meals and working out regularly. Hormones that control metabolism are affected by lack of sleep and thus enough sleep is important for your body to maintain its day-to-day requirements.
If you’ve been looking for burning calories and losing some weight. People who get enough sleep eat smaller portions of calories than people who don’t. People with regular sleep schedules have lower risk of weight gain.
Good sleep can help you avoid risk factors for several health complications. It maintains your hormonal balance and motivation to workout, lack of which is thought to play a critical role in contributing to obesity.
Sleep is also essential for a variety of brain functions; comprehension, attention, and efficiency are directly impacted by a good sleeping schedule. It also promotes an overall good mental well-being.
Food Items that promote Sleep
Understanding how essential sleep is for our overall well-being is only half the task. In order to improve the quality of your sleep, you can include these food items in your diet. These are natural remedies that can help you fall asleep quicker or help if you are unable to sleep at all.
- Bananas are highly nutritious and increase the availability of tryptophan in the body, which promotes sleep. Bananas are also high in magnesium, which has been shown to calm muscular systems.
- Proteins are essential for tryptophan, and a glass of milk contains plenty of it. A cup of hot milk, as per Ayurveda, is the great way to finish the day since it has a soothing impact on the mind. In addition, a shortage of calcium in the blood may cause sleep disturbances. Milk increases the calcium intake in your body and thus results in good sleep.
- When snuggling under your covers, take a teaspoonful of Honey. Honey promotes the levels of tryptophan while inhibiting the action of orexin, a hormone that causes you to be awake.
- Almonds are high in healthy fats, organic molecules, and phosphorus, which help you not just to sleep quicker but also stay asleep. You could make a cup of hot milk with honey and almonds before bed to have a better sleep.
- Walnuts are one of the best food sources of melatonin and are highly recommended to be eaten before bed to improve sleep quality.
- Kiwis are very low calorie and nutritious fruits. They contain high fiber and carotenoid antioxidants. Studies suggest that its consumption improve the individual’s ability to sleep through the night without waking up. This is effect may be attributed to serotonin, which is a sleep regulating hormone.
Conclusion
Sleep is affected by a number of factors and proper food is definitely one of them.
For those with poor sleeping patterns, the aforementioned food items can help you improve the quality and duration of your sleep. Some exercises or a light session of yoga can also be included before bed to unwind and promote deeper sleep.
DISCLAIMER:
The priority, in this blog, is to supply the reader with clear and unambiguous information. However, neither The New Me nor Gagan Dhawan makes promises, or guarantees regarding the completeness of the information found here. The content is not a replacement for advice of a licensed professional. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely that of the writer’s.
