HEALTH Eat your way to sleep

The sleep of Endymion (detail), by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (1791).

Eat your way to sleep


Nutrition advice
Judith McElhinney

If you have trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. Around one in five Irish people suffer from frequent lack of sleep, or insomnia, while 90 per cent of us have had sleep problems at one time or another. While not particularly surprising given the state of the nation, these figures are still alarming because of their wider health implications.
Countless studies have found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at increased risk of disease. Poor sleepers have lower levels of the appetite-controlling hormone leptin, and so are more likely to overeat during the day and become obese. Also, getting fewer than five hours of sleep per night has been associated with glucose intolerance and reduced insulin sensitivity (indicators of diabetes), as well as elevated blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.

How can nutrition help?
The first step is to eliminate foods that disrupt sleep – stimulants like sugar, caffeine and alcohol. It is especially important to avoid these items during the four to six hours before bedtime. While some people think alcohol helps them to sleep – and it does have an initial sleep-inducing effect – as the alcohol level in your blood begins to fall, a stimulant effect wakes you up.
Maintaining balanced blood sugar throughout the day will help to balance the hormones that promote sleep. The best way to do this is to avoid sugary foods and refined carbohydrates (white bread, rice and pasta), and eat good quality protein with every meal (fish, eggs, lean poultry, lentils, nuts and seeds).
You can also increase foods that support sleep. The amino acid tryptophan enhances melatonin synthesis, which promotes sleep. Whole grains, beans, lentils, eggs and chicken are all good sources of tryptophan. A bowl of porridge with soy milk an hour or two before bed will boost your tryptophan, as oats and soy are also both good sources. A pre-bedtime snack also reduces the likelihood of waking because your blood sugar has dipped too low, which can be a cause of sleep disturbance.
Magnesium deficiency causes sleep disturbance, so you may want to increase your magnesium intake. Magnesium-rich foods include dark green leafy vegetables, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and pine nuts. If you opt for a magnesium supplement, take it with your evening meal for a calming, sleep-inducing effect. Magnesium is also helpful for Restless Leg Syndrome, another cause of night wakefulness.
It seems obvious, but avoid too much liquid right before bed so that you’re not waking to use the toilet. And if you need a little extra help getting to sleep, there are a few herbs that can help calm the brain and central nervous system. Try lemon balm, valerian and ginseng, all of which have sedative properties.

Judith McElhinney is a nutritional therapist based in Westport. She can be contacted at 087 2615150 or at living@mayonews.ie. For more details, visit www.thefoodcoachonline.com.