Ep 17- How to Get a Good Night's Sleep: Solving Insomnia for Better Health

Action For Wellness - The naturopath's corner

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health and well-being, but many of us struggle to get enough rest at night. If you’re having trouble getting quality sleep, there are steps you can take to get yourself into the best sleep habits possible, leading to a lifetime of better health and well-being as a result!

Let's talk about the first line of solutions that can help you sleep better at night!

What is the first line? You can probably guess... nutrition! Well, you already know that our food affects all our health...

What is it important to eat in order to sleep well at night?

1. Make sure you eat enough protein during the day - the high-quality protein found in ingredients such as legumes - lentils and beans - nuts and seeds provides us with a large amount of tryptophan. Tryptophan is converted in the body into the hormones serotonin and melatonin, which are essential for good sleep. Plant protein (such as the examples I gave) is rich not only in tryptophan, but also in vitamin B6 and zinc, two components that help convert tryptophan into melatonin. It is recommended not to eat the protein in the evening, as protein meals can be more difficult to digest, which can disturb sleep in itself.
2. Make sure you consume enough magnesium - magnesium is found in pumpkin and sunflower seeds, leafy green vegetables, and dried fruits. Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for muscle relaxation, and it is also needed for GABA to function - a neurotransmitter with a relaxing action that helps to "turn off" the brain so that we can sleep peacefully.
3. Complex carbohydrates - such as found in whole grains, among other things - help to balance blood sugar levels by breaking down slowly in the body. Even when we sleep, the body, and especially the brain, still consume sugars to continue their activity, and if the blood sugar levels are too low, the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released, which may wake us up from our sleep. A serving of whole grains at dinner can prevent this.

Apart from nutrition, there are many habits that can affect our sleep, lets go over some of these...

Here are a few habits to help improve your sleep (to read the full text go here)

Creating a sleep schedule

Unwind before bedtime

Exercise during the day

Avoid caffeine and alcohol at night

Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool

If you've tried these tips and they've not done enough to improve your sleep, I would say it's time for individual help, and you can schedule a free consult with me to see how I can help here

Maya x

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Maya x