Key to Being…

What you eat and when you eat both affect the quality and length of sleep.

Eating a large meal two hours before hitting the sack can disrupt your sleep.  Likewise, if you eat too soon and too little your metabolic rate and temperature will increase instead of decrease, making it harder to drop off.

If you’re still having trouble falling asleep, it may help to snack on foods that are high in tryptophan.¹ Tryptophan is an amino acid that the body can’t make and is used to make serotonin, a hormone that promotes relaxation and sleepiness.  To make tryptophan more effective, combine foods containing it with carbohydrate rich foods.  Carbohydrates result in your body’s release of insulin, which diverts other amino acids from the brain.  With less competition, more tryptophan can access your brain.

Foods high in tryptophan

Foods high in carbohydrates*

*Ideally, choose whole grain options.  It goes without saying that artificial flavors, colors and preservatives should be avoided like mosquitoes.

Be aware of caffeine’s effect on you

We all react differently to caffeine and you understand your body best.  Some people are awake all night if they drink tea 5 hours before going to sleep.  Others can have an espresso right before bedtime and sleep like a lamb.

Caffeine’s effect peaks within about an hour of intake.  So even if you’re a regular drinker, abstain from it an hour or two before bed, as it stimulates your brain and will interfere with deep sleep.  If you are sensitive to it, stick to morning coffee, avoid it entirely, try decaf or have very weak tea in the afternoon.  The key is to listen to your body.

Instead of regular tea, coffee or one of many energy drinks, go for chamomile tea.  It has a mildly sedative and soothing effect, in addition to having anti-bacterial properties.  If you don’t like chamomile, try any other herbal tea (though chamomile is particularly effective in relaxing and calming the body).

Get the sleep you deserve by combining foods

Combine tryptophan foods with carbohydrate foods, and you’re body will happily start producing some serotonin.  Don’t worry if you can’t sleep, and think about something other than needing to fall asleep.  Experiment and enjoy making various snacks and dishes that send your taste buds on a little trip and your brain out to dreamland.

Here are some more super tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

¹Hartmann E (1982). “Effects of L-tryptophan on sleepiness and on sleep”. Journal of psychiatric research17 (2): 107-13.
²Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, January 26, 2005. Imperial College London study