Are you having trouble falling asleep, or you wake up in the night and can’t fall back asleep? Is it a struggle to get your 7-8 uninterrupted hours?
You’re not alone! It’s a common problem, but the good news is, it can be helped with a few diet and lifestyle tweaks, and may not require popping meds. (Note: even if you feel you’ve tried a ton of things already, don’t give up as you probably haven’t tried it all yet, so keep reading!!)
First, it’s important to address the underlying cause. Most often its related to STRESS and lifestyle (when work, family and social commitments take over!). Some other factors include:
Melatonin imbalance - Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the circadian rhythm of your body, and can be affected by light, stress and diet.
Cortisol imbalance - Cortisol is hormone that responds to stress and low blood glucose, helping your body produce the energy it needs for the day. It should be highest in the morning and lowest late at night. If this is altered (again usually due to stress/lifestyle/diet factors), it can disrupt your sleep.
Thyroid imbalance – an under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism) can cause insomnia, sleep apnea, night sweats and anxiety.
Medical Conditions, medications and supplements – Many diseases and medications can have an effect on your sleep, but then of course, lack of proper sleep can make your condition worse.
Regardless, it’s important to understand that sleep deprivation will negatively impact the health and quality of your life, and can also be a huge impediment to weight loss. (see previous blog). Lack of sleep will lead to decreased energy, mood, performance and overall health.
SO HOW DO YOU AVOID INSOMNIA AND IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP?
You need to focus on changing your eating and lifestyle habits to nourish your adrenals, reduce stress and promote proper melatonin and cortisol balance.
Here are 12 tips:
Get in sync with your circadian rhythm. Start your day by getting some natural sunlight (open your windows or even better, go for a walk or jog outside, once the sun is out) and after the sun goes down, start getting ready for bed. Dim the lights in your home, minimize noise. Try to go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time every day. Ideally, go to sleep between 9-11 pm and wake up between 5-7:30 am (varying slightly with the seasons).
Limit caffeine (or even remove it from your diet). If you love your coffee, keep it to one cup in the morning, but none after noon! Switch your afternoon coffee for an herbal tea, decaf coffee (just make sure its organic and swiss water processed as normal decaf uses harsh chemicals; I currently love this one and this one) or even a green juice.
Eat foods at night that promote sleep. At night, focus on eating foods rich in magnesium, vitamin B6, and tryptophan. It also helps to add calcium-rich foods (that help brain use tryptophan to produce melatonin), omega-3 fats (support healthy sleep regulation), and complex carbs (help make tryptophan more available to brain). Some of the best foods with these nutrients include: dark leafy greens, whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa (in small amounts!), turkey, fatty fish (like wild caught salmon), nuts and seeds, as well as tart cherries, kiwi and potassium-rich fruits including banana and avocado.
Note: for blood sugar regulation purposes, I suggest limiting quantities of fruit at night, but you can do combos with some added protein/healthy fats/fiber that help keep glucos stable, for ex: 1 kiwi + handful of pumpkin seeds, 1/3 banana + sprinkle of ground flaxseeds and a tbsp almond butter, 1/4 c greek yogurt with tart cherries and a tsp cashew butter, or a few tablespoons of an overnight oats-chia-flax pudding.
Remove bad fats and increase healthy fats in your diet. Avoid trans fats (ex. partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) as they inhibit proper adrenal function, and reduce animal fat, including cheese.
Reduce the white starches and sugars from your diet. This can alter your blood sugar and hormone levels, ultimately impacting your adrenals and your sleep.
Don’t eat late at night, especially sweets. If your body is digesting a heavy meal it will impair your sleep, so I suggest finishing your last meal 2-3 hours before bed. Eating sweets at night in particular can alter your blood sugar and make you wake up at night with sugar cravings.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep, every single night. Even one night of not-enough-sleep can alter your hormones (including cortisol and insulin) which disrupts your adrenals, and can make you gain weight (or stop you from losing weight). So REGULAR sleep is key.
Build a nightly ritual. Start relaxing your body and mind at least half an hour before bed. Make your to-do list for the next day an hour before bed, and then get into relaxation mode. Avoid checking email and social media in bed; instead, read a book (or do something that disconnects and relaxes you). Go back to old fashioned ways of getting into bed…
Take a magnesium supplement at night. Magnesium is known as the “relaxation mineral” and lack of magnesium can keep you up at night. Consider taking a magnesium supplement at night; I love Natural Calm. (read my blog about magnesium here) and lately am loving this magnesium glycinate complex. Lastly, this combo of magnesium+ashwagandha has really improved my deep sleep!
Boost your melatonin. Melatonin is triggered by darkness, so first, make sure you’re sleeping in a dark room. I personally like to supplement with melatonin when i'm particularly sleep deprived or jet lagged (it’s a natural supplement, but still, talk to your doctor about taking it / the right dosage for you).
Be careful with alcohol before bed. While a glass or two of booze (especially wine) may initially act as a sedative, it actually disrupts sleep and can make you wake up in the middle of the night while the alcohol is being metabolized. So if you need a glass of wine with dinner, aim to have it at least 3 hours before bed.
Enjoy a tea of "sleep-inducing" herbs. Look for caffeine-free teas with Valerian root, passionflower and chamomile (both of which have relaxing effects). I also love treating my self to a “sleepy time” superfood hot chocolate, like this one from RYZE or this one.
Of course everyone is different (depending on your circumstances and cause for sleep deprivation), but regardless, experimenting with some of these habits will help you sleep better, feel more energized, have less cravings, and overall, enjoy a healthier, more balanced life.
Pick two or three of these tips to work on each week, and notice how you feel.
Tip: I uggest using something that monitors your sleep, like the Oura ring; I'm a big fan. While I believe that connecting with our bodies and intuition should be the first step (asking ourselves how we feel in the morning, in terms of energy, etc.), I have found the Oura ring to be quite accurate and reflects what I feel. It also allows you to experiment to see what helps you most. For example, I tend to get very little deep sleep, and I've found that the combination of journaling, wearing my red light mask, and taking my magnesium with ashwagandha helps me to improve my deep sleep. Also, when I have my RYZE hot chocolate, I fall asleep very quickly.
Please share with me any results / comments/ feedback!
Love and Sweet Dreams,
Mariana