Eat, Sleep, Thrive: Unraveling the Link Between Nutrition and Rest

Creating a healthy sleep routine

If sleep isn’t high on your priority list or you don’t invest too much time into your sleep routine, use some of these tips below as a starting point.

Give your circadian rhythm a helping hand
- Your circadian rhythm allows you to stay awake during the day and tells you when it’s time to sleep. It affects your body, your brain and also your hormones. Spending time throughout the day exposing yourself to daylight improves your energy throughout the day and helps increase sleep quality and duration.
- On the other hand, when it gets to the evening and when you are ready to sleep, you want to reduce light exposure. Bright light will reduce melatonin, the hormone that helps you relax and sleep.
  Blue light emitted from phones and computers is the worst for this, so you want to reduce this as much as possible.
- You can wear blue light-blocking glasses, download apps that block blue light on your phone in the evening and finally switch off all phones, computers and TVs an hour to two hours before bed.
Keep bedtimes consistent
- Our bodies love routine – particularly our circadian rhythm.
- Having irregular sleep patterns can alter your circadian rhythm melatonin levels, which throws your brain off balance for what time it needs to sleep.
- Aim to sleep and wake up simultaneously every day, including the weekends.
Optimize the environment around you
- Minimize external noise
- Minimize light exposure
- Create a relaxing and calm environment – perhaps lighting a candle
- Create a clean environment around you. A clean space can affect your mood
- If you struggle to relax before going to sleep, try reading a book unrelated to work, try some breathing exercises, do a few stretches or listen to some soothing music (I love the sleep playlist on Spotify)
Reduce any long daytime naps
- Short naps during the day, particularly at lunchtime, can be very beneficial; however, long, irregular naps can negatively affect sleep.

Will eating late at night affect my fat loss progress?

In short, eating late at night isn’t a big no-no like it is sometimes made out to be. As with most things, we are unique, so the impact of meal timing will vary from person to person. Some individuals tend to reach straight for food when tired in the evening. For some, hunger may be more prominent in the evening than others. Calorie intake throughout the rest of the day and activity levels will significantly affect needs in the evening.

If you find yourself ravenous most evenings, then I suggest increasing your total daily calorie intake, as you don’t want to go to bed hungry. For some people, eating late at night will disrupt their circadian rhythms, and for others, it may affect appetite-related hormones.

Going to bed hungry will make it harder for you to fall asleep and make you prone to waking frequently at night. Inadequate sleep stimulates the hunger hormone ghrelin, which may lead to overeating the following day, particularly on foods higher in calories, saturated fats and sugar. Therefore, it is essential to eat enough throughout the day. A small snack before bed is advised so that you are not going to bed uncomfortably full but not hungry.

Bottom line – before you blame eating your dinner after 6 pm for lack of fat loss progress, look at your overall calorie intake throughout the day. In terms of sleep quality, if you suffer from poor sleep, try moving dinner forward if you eat close to wanting to sleep to allow your body more time to digest.

Foods to help improve sleep

According to research, some foods may promote better sleep. The kiwifruit has been linked to better sleep, perhaps due to the antioxidant properties or high concentration of serotonin. Tart cherries or tart cherry juice have also been linked to better sleep. This is perhaps due to the high melatonin levels, a hormone that helps regulate circadian rhythms and antioxidant properties.

Nuts are nutrient powerhouses – they contain magnesium, zinc and melatonin, all of which have been linked to improved sleep. Therefore, it would be recommended to incorporate more nuts into the diet. Perhaps having a bowl of yoghurt with a handful of nuts in the evening.

Tryptophan is an amino acid, also the precursor of serotonin, which is linked to improved sleep. Therefore, consuming a protein-rich snack in the evening has been suggested to promote better sleep. A glass of milk, Skyr yoghurt, quark, cottage cheese, tofu, eggs and salmon are good examples. Consuming carbohydrates with tryptophan (think of your protein sources) can speed up the sleepy feeling. In short, carbs essentially clear the pathway for tryptophan to enter the brain. Therefore, try matching a carb source with a protein source. For example, cheese, crackers, porridge, protein powder, skyr yoghurt, and granola.

Magnesium has also been shown to improve sleep – foods rich in magnesium include spinach, kale, bananas, milk, cereals, seeds and nuts.

Sleep & Food Choices

Speaking broadly, just like focussing on overall health, you want to focus on a healthy, well-balanced diet, including all food groups, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Aim to ensure portions are adequate for you and your goals and limit heavily processed foods, which tend to be high in saturated fats, salt and sugar. There are no magic foods that you should include in your diet to ensure you get the best night’s sleep, but including the foods mentioned above may help your overall sleep.

As you can see, the diet we promote for overall long-term health is the same for promoting quality sleep. Therefore, before you start worrying about supplements to help enhance sleep, as I say with weight loss, always focus on the foundations first before you start looking at supplements. By having a well-balanced, healthy diet, including a variety of foods and all food groups, you will be getting plenty of nutrients, including all those that are beneficial for sleep.

Nutritionist Becs

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