A healthy diet can improve your sleep

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Diet is a factor that can affect sleep quality. Certain foods and drinks can improve sleep, while others make it worse. Quality sleep is strongly linked to the ability to maintain an ideal body weight and may offer a number of benefits for those trying to lose weight.

1. A healthy diet needs to be nutritionally secure

Nutrition is made up of food or other substances that can provide energy for the body to function properly. Essential nutrients for humans include macronutrients, vitamins and minerals:
Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, fats, fiber and water; Groups of vitamins play many important roles in most of the body's metabolic processes. Currently there are about 13 essential vitamins; Essential minerals can provide energy for the body's activities. Minerals are classified as either macronutrients or trace minerals. This classification depends on the amount the body needs. A healthy, reasonable diet requires ensuring a balance between the groups of substances mentioned above. Most sources of nutrients are from foods, in addition to some other sources such as dietary supplements or dietary supplements.

2. How does nutrition affect sleep?

Nutrition plays an extremely important role, being the "backbone" of health, providing energy and other elements that we need for the body to function properly. The link between nutrition, obesity, diabetes and heart health is well known, but many people don't know that diet can also affect sleep.
According to a new study, the diet to sleep well often needs a lot of fiber. In contrast, a diet low in fiber and high in saturated fat and sugar was associated with poorer sleep quality. Therefore, changing our diet can help us improve our sleep.
Experts say not getting enough sleep is a factor that affects food choices as well as how the body absorbs food. However, the results of studies have shown that getting enough sleep can help with weight loss, and conversely, people who lack sleep can experience unwanted weight gain.

Researchers from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center in New York further studied the effects of diet on sleep quality. The team recruited 26 normal-weight adults between the ages of 30 and 45 who did not have any unusual sleep problems. Volunteers were monitored for 5 nights in a sleep research room, resting time was from 9 hours each night (from 10 pm to 7 am the next morning). During this process, the researchers recorded their brain waves. During the first 4 days, the participants' diets were controlled. By day 5, they can choose their own food to their liking. The results of the study showed that, although the sleep duration of the participants did not differ between the days of the controlled eating compared to the days of the buffet, their sleep quality was very different. The researchers said that after a day of free eating, their sleep quality was worse, and it took longer to fall asleep. The results of this study have been published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
However, the disadvantage of this study is the relatively small number of participants, the short observation period. Therefore, to determine how a healthy diet affects sleep, we need long-term studies with larger numbers of participants.
Also, the study only used people with no sleep problems, so the impact of a healthy diet on people who already have sleep disorders is unknown. The researchers also haven't addressed other sleep-inducing factors such as the role of hormones and the body's circadian rhythms.
In the future, if more research on this issue helps to better define the direct effects of diet on sleep quality, it will be easier to make recommendations about sleep quality. diet to sleep well, especially in people with sleep disorders (including insomnia). If this happens, people who have trouble getting a good night's sleep can simply keep a "food diary," then work with their doctor to develop a healthy diet. for sleep.

3. Build a diet to sleep well

As a general rule, a good night's sleep is a balanced diet, including a variety of vegetables and fruits, providing the full recommended daily intake of vitamins and nutrients, contributing to promote better sleep while promoting proper weight control.
Sleep and nutrition are both extremely complex processes, involving many interconnected systems within the body. In fact, it is difficult to conduct studies to conclude that a single diet is best for sleep. Instead, the most important thing is that we need to build a complete diet, do not consume too many unhealthy foods, ensure that we provide enough vitamins and minerals to support most of the body. body process.
There is a lot of evidence to show that getting enough nutrients is important for sleep. One large study found that a lack of important nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, E, and K were linked to sleep problems. Besides, a high-carbohydrate meal with a high glycemic index can also affect a person's energy level and sleep quality. High-carbohydrate meals can often make us feel drowsy but reduce sleep quality, increase nighttime awakenings, and decrease the length of deep sleep. For example, a person who regularly drinks energy drinks and sugary drinks will have poor sleep quality.
The DASH diet includes reduced salt and saturated fat, with a focus on foods high in fiber, potassium, and magnesium. The DASH diet is designed to lower blood pressure, but research has found that people who closely follow it tend to report better sleep. In addition, the Mediterranean diet has also shown benefits for sleep, ensuring a balance of macronutrients, ensuring adequate vitamins and minerals.
Because of the effects on bodily functions when we change our diet, it is important for anyone considering starting a new diet to talk to doctor or dietitian. From there, your doctor will review a nutritional plan, outline the benefits and disadvantages of that regimen in some specific situations.

4. Does an unhealthy diet cause sleep disturbances?

Some rest problems may be related to sleep disorders. One of them, and the most serious, is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which makes it hard to breathe and wakes people up many times each night. Obesity is an important risk factor for OSA, which means that an unhealthy diet that contributes to excessive body weight can cause or worsen the condition. breathing while sleeping.
One drink that can aggravate sleep apnea is alcohol or alcoholic beverages. This is because they decrease airway muscle tone at night and increase the likelihood of upper airway obstruction during sleep.
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References: webmd.com, sleepfoundation.org