Insomnia is a common sleep disorder which makes it difficult to fall or stay asleep. It often cause you to wake intermittently or too early. You may not be able to go back to sleep and may still feel tired when you wake up. Insomnia saps not only your energy level and mood but also your work performance, health and overall quality of life. What is the relationship between insomnia and your eating habits?. Your eating habit has a bilateral relationship with insomnia! Insomnia can cause poor eating habits and poor eating habits can also cause insomnia. Now let us dwell on that a little.
Today people usually take in few calories during the day, and then eat food high in carbs late at night. This often begins with skipping breakfast, most times unintentionally. Then, having a little lunch, usually due to a busy work schedule. But then what happens at night when you eventually get back, say by 8:00pm to 10:00pm, you are so hungry that you consume whatever you find at home. Including over processed food and drinks. More so, your food cravings can still wake you at night, leaving you consuming even more! While some people do this once in a while, for others, it has become a daily routine due to their circumstances.
But what results over time? Weight gain, accumulation of belly fat and Insomnia. In addition, night eaters often wake, up to 12 times more than people without the condition. They are also more likely to suffer from obesity, low self-esteem, depression and even type 2 diabetes. People who don’t sleep well tend to overeat and have a poor quality diet. When the delicate balance of hormones from healthy sleep is lacking, your stress response, appetite regulation and eating habit will all be affected. Sleep is one of the most vital needs in life. We all need it to function properly. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will eventually break down physically and mentally.
What then is responsible for Insomnia or poor sleeping habits?
1. Increased Cortisol
Cortisol is a stimulating hormone that your body releases when under stress. It is usually at its peak early in the morning. Around 6am in preparation for the day. It then slowly decreases into the night. Between 2:00am and 4:00am, it slightly rises as the cycle starts all over again. The cortisol level of most people with insomnia are abnormally high in the evening and within the day. Also, high cortisol levels increases alertness and decreases the ability to sleep. Leading to more eating, as well as a pattern of waking intermittently, which is indicative of stress. Stress can be as a result of the death or illness of a loved one, divorce, a job loss or other factors
2. Low levels of Melatonin:
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your body’s circadian rhythms or 24-hour internal clock and with sleep. It is vital for a healthy sleep pattern, both falling and staying asleep. Disrupting your body’s internal clock can lead to insomnia. The common causes includes jet lag from traveling across multiple time zones and frequently changing work shifts. For optimal levels of melatonin, you must sleep in complete darkness. Being exposed to light at night can block melatonin. Even a tiny spot of light touching your skin is enough to inhibit melatonin production. Another vital step is to avoid eating too close to your bedtime. The best time to have your dinner is 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. Also, since eating too late interferes with the release of melatonin, it is best to stop eating by 7:00pm or at most 8:00 pm.
3. High levels of Ghrelin and low levels of Leptin
Ghrelin is a hormone that increases appetite, and also plays a role in body weight. It stimulates appetite. Leptin on the other hand notifies you when you are full, thus keeping your appetite in check or decreasing it. These two hormones help regulate hunger and fullness and are affected by sleep. When the body is sleep-deprived, the level of ghrelin spikes, while the level of leptin decreases, leading to an increase in hunger. Without leptin, the body thinks it has no body fat, and this signals intense, uncontrolled hunger and food intake. High levels of leptin can lead to late night eating and sleep-disturbing hunger pangs.
Recommendations to help you sleep better
1. Engaging in regular and properly timed exercise
Exercise improves sleep quality and helps you sleep longer. Engaging in as little as 10 minutes of aerobic activity daily, is enough to produce good results. Prolonged and excessive exercise causes an increase in cortisol, which we already know increases the appetite and negatively affects sleep. Since cortisol release during exercise seems to depend on the time of day we choose to exercise, then it is best to exercise early in the morning and afternoon. Remember to keep each workout session not more than 30 minutes. The right amount of physical work out will lower your stress hormones. When your body temperature drops later in the day, it will help you fall asleep more easily.
2. Eat right and avoid late night meals
Consider taking proteins in the morning and low carb meals in the evening. To reduce the stress associated with blood sugar imbalance and high cortisol levels. Try eating a high protein breakfast within one hour of rising and give up to 3 to 4 hours gap between meals. Don’t economize on the protein or healthy fats at each meal and snack time, but save your low carb meals for dinner. Because it will boost your serotonin levels and help you relax before bed time. An example of low carb food is sweet potato. Also, fruits and high fibre meals boosts digestion and good sleeping habits, so don’t forget to take them! Eating late at night interferes with sleep. It can cause heartburn in people with acid reflux. So endeavour to eat dinner several hours before bedtime and at the same time if possible. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, spicy, heavy and greasy meals at night. Since this may interfere with your sleep.
3. Take nutritious food supplement drinks instead of skipping meals
Some nutritious food supplement drinks, enables you get all the desired nutrients in just one healthy cup. An example is NutriVrich raw food supplement. This contains 40 variations of grains, fruits and vegetables. It reduces cholesterol levels, is rich in fibre, aids in weight loss especially around the belly and boosts cardiovascular health. It can also assist with re-establishing healthy sleep patterns. And comes handy when you need to take a light yet nutritious meal at any time of the day. It is preferably taken in the evenings. A box contains 30 sachets and it is taken with warm water, after it dissolves. It serves as a nutritious, healthy and nourishing meal replacement. A glass of warm milk is also a good option.
4. Avoid Sleep Stealers
Most people find it difficult to sleep with the lights on. So dim the lights at night to enable your brain produce melatonin as it should. Blue light instructs your brain to stop producing melatonin, which is the hormone that helps you fall asleep. Avoid sleep stealers that emit blue light, some examples are Smartphones, Tablets, Televisions and Computers. So instead of exposing yourself to blue light that will interfere with your sleep, why not take a warm bath with candlelight or listen to a calm, relaxing and soothing music. And watch yourself drifting off to sleep sooner or later!
Conclusion
What you do during the day either positively or negatively affects your sleep.
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Summary of points
- Don’t engage in strenuous and lengthy exercise before bedtime
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals at night
- Eat right and avoid late night meals
- Try not to watch TV, use your mobile phone, eat or read in bed
- Follow the same bedtime routine every night, even on weekends
- Do not skip meals, a healthy nutritious smoothie is a good option
