Nutrition and Sleep Susan Pihl, sleep therapist, specialized laboratorian becomes more balanced and burns calories while you're sleeping. When we talk about nutrition and eating, our thoughts immediately spring to weight control. Tryptophan However, food and drink also have a great impact Tryptophan is a biochemical precursor to sleeppromoting substances such as serotonin and melatonin. on sleep and alertness. These in turn affect the body's energy balance and thus weight and general It calms down the nervous system and brain activity. It well-being. can be found in following foods: turkey, chicken, milk, eggs, nuts, whole grains, dark rice, lentils, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and especially almonds. Certain foodstuffs make you sleepier, while others Calcium and vitamin B6 help the body absorb have a stimulating effect and make it harder to fall tryptophan more efficiently. When your evening snack asleep. That s why it s important to carefully choose contains slow carbohydrates and proteins in addition to what you eat and drink, so that your states of sleep foods containing tryptophan, your system winds down and alertness are as balanced as possible. and becomes sleepy. Substances that increase sleepiness The Killer Burger The 11/28/2011 issue of Iltalehti contained a small article stating the following: Burger King has introduced a new monster burger to their menu to the delight of the already obese Americans. The gigantic burger comes with four meat patties and five layers of cheese, and it contains a whopping 1000 calories and 68 grams of fat. Health experts are appalled by the burger, and it has been criticized as a heart attack on a plate. Some tips for possible evening snacks: Turkey with green vegetables Omelet with vegetables Beans, dark rice and lettuce Chicken Caesar salad Chicken or turkey salad with sunflower and sesame seeds Fish with steamed vegetables A small, light dessert isn t out of the question! Sounds like quite a meal, which probably lulls you to sleep nicely, but at a price Perhaps it would be in place to pick lighter snacks for better sleep. Certain foodstuffs contain relaxing substances that make falling asleep easier and keep the sleep undisrupted. As a result, your metabolism Your evening snack should be light yet nutritious. A full stomach has a negative effect on the quality of your sleep, even if it makes you fall asleep more quickly. Greasy and spicy foods, alcohol, coffee and desserts are especially likely to keep you up.
Substances that disrupt sleep: imbalances in blood sugar levels, making them Alcohol fluctuate. Symptoms include sweating, anxiety, hunger, trembling and feeling faint. A drop in blood sugar levels Cigarettes leads to the production of glucose-regulating hormones Additives and preservatives such as adrenaline, glucagon, cortisol and growth Coffee and other foods rich in caffeine (dark chocolate, hormone. These send a signal to the brain that you need energy drinks, black tea) food. As a result, your body wakes up and sleep may be long gone. Desserts, sugars and sweeteners Onions Another possible blood sugar-related problem in the Greasy and spicy food evening and the night might be that blood sugar levels Soda are too high. This is much more common than the levels being too low. If your blood sugar levels are elevated when you go to bed, your bodily functions Tyramine may be too active for you to be able to relax enough to Tyramine is an amino acid which increases the fall asleep. You may feel physically exhausted, but your production of norepinephrine, a stress hormone which mind keeps racing. Eating foods that are too rich in increases brain activity and may keep you up. The sugar in the evening triggers stress hormones and keeps following foods contain tyramine: bacon, cheese, the body awake. Worrying and fretting over not being chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sugar, able to sleep leads to the body producing even more sausage, spinach, tomatoes and wine. It s a good idea to stress hormones, leading into a vicious cycle. avoid eating these right before you go to bed. High blood sugar may hinder the production of leptin, a Keeping your blood sugar levels under control can be hormone which controls appetite. If the production of more effective than counting sheep. leptin doesn t start until the early hours, it will hinder the production of alertness-regulating cortisol. This Blood sugar levels during the night have an effect on causes you to feel tired and gloomy in the mornings. the quality of your sleep as well as your weight. When you are sleeping, your body utilizes your fat storages, Imbalances in blood sugar levels cause many purges waste products from your system and adjusts the symptoms throughout the evening, night, and energy balance of your cells. morning: strong hunger in the morning If you suffer from lowered blood sugar levels night sweats (hypoglycemia) during the night, it might be one of the headache during sleep or when waking up potential reasons for poor quality of sleep or waking up too early in the morning hours. Stress increases feeling groggy in the morning
irritability and a heavy sensation in the head, which may go on for hours memory disturbances requiring coffee in order to wake up in the morning How can I balance my blood sugar? Medication alone isn t always enough. It's important to take diet, sleep maintenance and stress control into account in order to reach a biochemical balance. If such symptoms continue after a change in lifestyle When you re sleeping, you're going without food for and eating habits, it s important to visit a doctor so you the longest period of the day. That s why it s important can rule out sleep apnea or other diseases, side effects to take care of your sugar balance. With proper from medication, etc. nourishment you can also improve the quality of your sleep so it s refreshing and healthy and you won t need coffee or other stimulants to shake yourself awake in Insulin resistance the morning. A good night s sleep also makes proper Several studies show that sleep deprivation has an fat-burning during the night possible, and makes it effect on insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate easier to keep your weight under control. metabolism. When you don t get enough sleep, the amount of the stress hormone cortisone in your system Eating regular meals throughout the day is important. increases, which leads to increased insulin production. It s also good to remember small snacks (such as fruit) This, in turn, makes it more difficult for your body to between meals. That way, when meal time rolls around, break down fats, which makes it harder to lose weight. you won t feel so starved that you'll end up over-eating. Additionally, carbohydrate metabolism is disrupted and the amount of stored fat keeps increasing. Blood sugar levels rise, which may lead to a state where cells are no If you suffer from hypoglycemia and wake up during longer able to utilize insulin. Your cells will constantly the night, you can have a midnight snack rich in feel starved and, as a result, your system will protein, such as a small piece of turkey or some sugarfree yoghurt. constantly crave more sugar. If this continues over a long period of time, it may escalate into metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. If your blood sugar is too high, you can regulate it by avoiding foods that contain a lot of fast carbohydrates. These include sugar, pastries, cake, white bread, pizza, white pasta and rice, candy, soda, sweet fruits that are high in sugar, alcohol, and potatoes. Fast carbs cause blood sugar levels to soar quickly, and these are the foods we crave when we are very hungry and stressed. However, they have a negative effect on your system, and it would be best to avoid them.
Leptin resistance Leptin is a hormone discovered in 1994, which plays a role in regulating the sense of fullness and carbohydrate metabolism. It also has a part in forming fats. When leptin levels are low, the body craves for nutrition that s especially rich in carbohydrates. Leptin also plays a part in many other functions of the body: hunger, stress, the storing and burning of fat, body temperature, heartbeat, reproduction, bone formation, and blood sugar levels. In addition to problems with weight, leptin resistance also causes sleep problems. It increases stress hormone According to studies, lack of sleep lowered the amount levels and leads to disruptions in sleep. The chances of of leptin in healthy men of normal weight, but in sleep-related breathing disorders also increase with overweight people the measured leptin levels were weight, so there are numerous risks involved. high. It was discovered that they had developed a so called leptin resistance, and their bodies sensitivity to leptin had changed (compare insulin resistance). Leptin resistance causes the brain not to register the leptin s effects. Leptin is formed in fat cells, and as a result, more fat is formed to produce even more leptin. The vicious cycle has begun! You feel hungry because your brain sends out the signal that there isn t enough fat in your body. You eat more because you don t feel full. Leptin is supposed to stop the eating, but your system won t hear its voice, even though more of it is constantly produced. Your weight starts to rise. Another hormone that plays an important part in regulating the metabolism is ghrelin. You can do something yourself! There are actions you can take yourself to fight insulin and leptin resistance. Your cells need to be re-trained. The main causes of these problems are eating too many so-called fast carbohydrates, and eating carbohydrates that have been refined too much.
the dark season our bodies crave treats to keep us energetic, while in the summer we eat more lightly and get to enjoy the sunlight. However, if your diet during the year is too centred on convenience food, fast carbohydrates and trans fats, it disturbs your metabolism. This causes many kinds of problems. Insomnia is starting to become a national disease in our country. It s important to acknowledge that stress hormones have a significant effect on your sleep and keep us awake at the wrong time of day. By exercising at the right time and eating the right kinds of food you can calm your metabolism down, which makes your sleep healthy and refreshing. Lack of sleep increases hunger and tiredness. You don t feel like exercising and you don t have the energy for it. Because of this you may end up eating more, and your intake of calories increases. When you consume more calories, you begin to gain weight. Your metabolism slows down and you use less energy, but your stress level rises. You cannot bear even the slightest amount of stress any more, and you become irritable and depressed. When you have slept badly, you also take The effects of lack of sleep unnecessary risks and you may become more accidentprone. What a terrible combination! Though we don t always realize it, nutrition and sleep go hand in hand. We know that if you don t eat enough or if you fast, your sleep becomes broken, you get cold easily, and you may feel anxious. If, on the other hand, you eat too much (especially Christmas foods!) you get stomach pains, lactose problems, too much sugar and fast carbohydrates, allergic reactions and so on, and these can all cause sleeping trouble. The effects of small, temporary disturbances in the diet are easily mended, but if bad eating habits continue for a long time, they begin to affect your health. Here in Finland things that have to do with food are important. During
You should eat all these foods: A graph showing the effects of sleep deprivation on mood, cognitive function and weight Why slow carbohydrates? The glycemic index (GI) is a unit that can be used to measure the effect of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down fast in the digestive system and release sugar into the blood stream quickly have a high GI. In contrast, carbohydrates that are digested slowly and release sugar into the blood gradually have a low GI. Foods with a low GI affect your insulin levels and help with keeping blood sugar and fats balanced. animal protein, about 100-180 g/meal preferably fish or chicken eggs 1-2/day legumes 3-4 times a week (1 portion is about a cupful) grains, nuts daily and seeds fruits daily (not high in sugar) vegetables daily water at least 8 glasses a day cold pressed moderate amounts virgin oil (olive, rapeseed) As you can see, reasonably small changes can make a big difference. By adjusting your lifestyle, exercising a bit more, and avoiding fast carbohydrates, you can quickly affect how your system works. You will sleep better and be more alert, and you will find your quality of life and your waistline again! But do not forget other nutrients. It is also important to make sure that you get vitamins and minerals. Restless Legs Syndrome, for example, is often related to iron deficiency, which needs to be confirmed by laboratory tests. Sources: Calbom, Cherie: Sleep away the pounds. Wellness Central, New York, 2007. Partinen, Markku: Nutrition and sleep. From the book: Sleep Disorders Medicine. Basic Science, technical considerations, clinical aspects. Saunders, Philadelphia, 2009. Willett, Walter C: Eat, drink and be healthy. Free Press, Ne