Food diet to help you sleep better
All of us know the benefits of a good night sleep. Also, lots of us don’t have it every night for many reasons: maybe it’s too hot in your bedroom, maybe you were staring at your iPhone for too long, maybe you are overdressed for the night rest, maybe … Too many maybes, and one of the most important of them is your diet. Melatonin, vitamin and mineral deficiencies are the main contributors to poor sleep
Three nutrients and three common sleep problems
Here, we’d like to highlight the links between three nutrients and three common sleep problems:
(dietary surveys suggest that up to 80% of Americans are not getting enough magnesium from their diet)
(potassium is an essential mineral “salt”, most commonly known for its role in blood pressure regulation, and it works synergistically with magnesium to improve sleep)
Melatonin - most crucial nutrient that helps you sleep better
The most crucial nutrient which is responsible for your sleep, and overall for your circadian rhythm, is melatonin, which is both a hormone and an antioxidant. It’s a fact. Melatonin is produced in your body by a pea-sized gland in the middle of your brain called the pineal gland. There are also a number of foods that contain melatonin, which fit well into a healthy diet. Some melatonin-boosting foods are: cherries (about 0.17–13.46ng/g), pineapples, bananas, oranges, oats, sweet corn, cereals, rice, grapes, tomatoes, olive oil, and barley. When humans consume foods rich in melatonin, the level of melatonin in the blood increases significantly.
Keep your magnesium balanced with calcium, vitamin K2 and D
To have a good night rest, it’s important to maintain the proper balance between magnesium, calcium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D. These all work together synergistically. A lack or excess even of one of them can destroy the balance and cause many health problems
Do not take any vitamin or mineral supplement pills to correct the balance – it might make the situation worse. Correct it with a proper diet: with varied whole foods you will not end up with too much of one nutrient at the expense of others. Foods in general contain all the cofactors and needed co-nutrients in the proper amounts for optimal health. That is the reason why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, and why some people experience vitamin D toxicity.
The high-protein weight loss diet improves your sleep
The critically important research published in “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in March 2016, suggested that overweight and obese adults who are losing weight with a high-protein diet are more likely to sleep better. The influence of melatonin on energy-burning fat may eventually develop into a new form of treatment for obesity and its related illnesses. It looks like the high-protein weight loss diet, which is rich in melatonin, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D, is one of many simple solutions to address poor sleep.
Remember, good night sleep is one of the cornerstones of your health. Impaired sleep can increase your risk of a wide variety of health problems, including heart disease, stomach ulcers, mood disorders like depression, and even cancer.
- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/15/nutrients-better-sleep.aspx
- http://www.livescience.com/38401-nutrients-linked-better-sleep.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Livesciencecom+%28LiveScience.com+Science+Headline+Feed%29
- http://canadajournal.net/health/high-protein-weight-loss-diet-aids-sleep-new-study-says-45363-2016/
- https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2016/Q1/losing-weight-with-a-high-protein-diet-can-help-adults-sleep-better.html
- Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJ (October 2001). “Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus)”. J. Agric. Food Chem. 49 (10): 4898–902. doi:1021/jf010321. PMID 11600041.
