Sleep-promoting foods, what helps?

Almost everyone has experienced it: after a large meal with friends or family, a debilitating lethargy sets in – often referred to as a food coma – and a nap or a walk can work wonders. But does that mean a large meal before bed helps you fall asleep and stay asleep? The answer: it depends on what and when you eat! If you have trouble sleeping and want to do something about it, but don't want to take medication or chemical substances, you can still do a lot for your sleep quality through your diet. Here you'll find herbal sleep aids to help you finally sleep better again. As a general rule of thumb, light meals can be eaten one to two hours before bedtime, while hearty meals should be eaten at least four hours beforehand. The meal should be as low in fat as possible, but can certainly contain carbohydrates and, above all, protein.
Philip Schmiedhofer, MSc

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Philip Schmiedhofer, MSc

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But which foods can promote restful sleep?

The good news: the variety of foods that can be eaten before bedtime and even help improve sleep is quite diverse.

How are nutrition and sleep connected?

It may come as a surprise to some, but there is a strong connection between diet, digestion, and calm, restful sleep.

Which active ingredients help to sleep better?

For the body to produce melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, it also needs the neurotransmitter serotonin. However, the hormone is also made up of components found in our food.

Which foods help improve sleep?

Tryptophan is a building block for serotonin and is found in: dates, fish, yogurt, quark, Parmesan, Emmental cheese, soybeans, cashew nuts, cocoa, oats, whole wheat products,

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But which foods can promote restful sleep?

The good news: the selection of foods that can be eaten before bedtime and even help you sleep better is quite diverse. Did you know, for example, that low blood sugar before falling asleep restless sleep can lead to? So if you skipped dinner, it can help to have a little chocolate, a cocoa, apple, a muesli with bananas or dates to eat. Because sweets in small doses actually have a calming effect, but the amount is important here. (Gesundheit.at). Basically, we first want to understand how sleep and nutrition are connected before focusing on specific foods.

 

How are nutrition & sleep connected?

It may come as a surprise to some, but there is a strong connection between nutrition, digestion, and calm, restful sleep. This is mainly because hormones that regulate appetite act in areas of the brain and stomach that are also active during sleep; they are essentially the common denominator.

A renowned science team led by Ivan N. Pigarev has been researching the connection of the of the gastrointernal system and restful sleep. For this, they have developed a completely new theory about how our brain communicates with the body at night, which is visceral sleep theory called. Certain cortical areas in the cerebrum are triggered by the activity of various organs, so the gastrointestinal tract communicates with the brain even during sleep. Thus, a complex interaction between brain and stomach are established, but exactly how this works is not yet fully understood. Currently, research is being conducted to see if sleep disorders and poor sleep with gastrointestinal diseases in connection exist, which would be a major breakthrough and give the interplay of sleep/nutrition a completely new dimension (Piagrev, 2014; Piagrev, 2017).

 

This is just one of the various theories about how nutrition and sleep quality are connected. Another aspect of this dynamic duo is that hormones, which occurs during restful sleep in the NonREM phase released, the appetite significantly regulate during the day. If you want to know more about restful Sleep, sleep phases, and sleep problems in general you want to learn, you can this article read more.

As for the influence on nutrition, the leptin-concentration is increased by restful sleep as well as the ghrelin-concentration decreases, which leads to less hunger during the day. So if you experience increased cravings you feel, this could very well also on your sleep quality lie (Bechthold & Leschik-Bonnet, 2010; Chaput J-P et al., 2008). Therefore, the topic of sleep should generally be examined more closely sleep quality  and sleep hygiene with nutrition and especially with problems like eating disorders, obesity and Diabetes mellitus play a bigger role.

Which active ingredients help you sleep better?

So that the body Melatonin the sleep-inducer, to produce it also requires the messenger substance Serotonin. However, the hormone also consists of components found in our food. An important part of this is the amino acid Tryptophan. Tryptophan is converted with the help of B6 & folic acid to Serotonin, which in turn becomes Melatonin is converted, and that’s how we get sleepy. Now you’re probably wondering which foods are best to get these nutrients from. That’s why we’ve created a list of foods that contain high concentrations of the active ingredients that improve your sleep. Here you’ll learn about natural sleep aids.

 

Which foods help you sleep better?

  •       Tryptophan is a building block for serotonin and is found in: dates, fish, yogurt, quark, parmesan, emmental, soybeans, cashew nuts, cocoa, oats, whole wheat products,
  •       B6 & Folic acid help convert tryptophan into serotonin and melatonin and are found in: hops, pistachios, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, basil, beans
  •       Magnesium has a muscle-relaxing effect and is found in: fish, blackberries, raspberries, kiwi, millet, pumpernickel,
  •       Potassium promotes digestion, found in: apricot, bananas, leafy greens, chard, spinach, cabbage vegetables, carrots,
  •       Omega-3 helps against inflammation and is found in: fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds  

 


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Philip Schmiedhofer, MSc

Philip Schmiedhofer, MSc

Philip is the CEO and co-founder of cannhelp GmbH. With a degree in medical engineering and molecular biology, specializing in neuroscience and focusing on cannabinoids, he is recognized as an expert in the medical application of cannabinoids. As a medical device consultant, he also leads the sales of cannmedic and provides specialized advice to medical professionals. His expertise includes the development and sales of cannabinoid-based products. In research, he participates in significant basic research at the Center for Brain Research at the Medical University of Vienna. As co-founder and current CEO of cannmedic GmbH, a pioneer in the CBD medical products market, he has many years of entrepreneurial experience. Additionally, he maintains an extensive network in the industry and advises internationally operating companies in the field of medical cannabinoids.