How our diet affects the quality of our sleep

Whether we get a quality, satisfying and restful sleep at night depends on many different factors. Of course, the mattress we sleep on plays a key role, but our sleep is also affected by other parameters, such as whether and how much we exercise, how much time we spend in the sun, how much time we spend looking at our mobile phones. And of course the combination of food and drinks we consume during the day also plays its role in how and how much we sleep.

It sounds obvious that a double espresso in the evening or a high-fat dinner affects our sleep. But the connection between a light salad, but not consumed at the right time, and insomnia is not always so obvious. In general, a healthy diet rich in nutrients positively affects brain health and function.

Eating healthy and providing the body with the necessary nutrients helps the brain create the chemical environment it needs to produce the neurotransmitters necessary to achieve adequate sleep. The nutrients we get from our diet act as the "building blocks" for the production of other minerals and proteins needed to create the amino acids involved in the sleep process.

Diet and sleep connection

Although research linking specific nutrients to sleep is still in its early stages, however, there is clear evidence that this connection exists. Many studies have confirmed that those who ate a diet that included less fiber and more saturated fat and sugar had shorter, more restless, and less restful sleep.

Other similar studies have demonstrated the link between sleep and metabolic rate. Our diet helps us regulate our circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is our internal biological clock, which regulates when we sleep and when we wake up, and when we need energy and need to eat.

This means that completely changing the times we take each meal, or completely and suddenly changing the type of our diet, has the consequence of disrupting the circadian rhythm.

Nutritional tips to get the best possible sleep

A good sleep is a basic condition for good health and psychology. Some nutritional tips that will help us get the sleep we need and want are as follows:

• Beware of caffeine : caffeine increases adrenaline and keeps us alert by blocking the production of chemicals necessary in the brain to initiate the sleep process. It is important to know that caffeine remains in our body up to six hours after its consumption. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid the consumption of foods and drinks containing caffeine in the afternoon and evening hours.

• Avoid alcohol before bed : it has been observed that alcohol has the ability to make us sleep lighter and not rest as much as we would like, when consumed too close to bedtime. That's why it's good to consume the one or two glasses we're going to drink a few hours before going to bed.

• Avoid very fatty and very hot foods in the evening .

• Breakfast royal and dinner poor : in many people the digestion process is quite slow. That is why it is better to eat a good breakfast, which will give you energy for the rest of the day, and in the evening eat as light as possible.

• Make sure you stay hydrated : the body does not function properly when it is dehydrated. The same is true with sleep when we are not adequately hydrated.

• Limit sugar : limiting sugar in your diet has overall beneficial effects on your health. Too much sugar in your diet has a direct effect on your blood sugar levels, thus affecting your energy levels during the day. Sugar spikes energy levels, but they drop just as sharply. This dysregulation also significantly affects the quality of sleep.