Nutrition and sleep

Our sleep and daily diet are integral parts of our everyday lives and important building blocks for our health, performance and well-being. Here you can find out how our daily diet affects our sleep and why a sufficient supply of nutrients can help to significantly improve sleep and falling asleep.

Table of contents

1. Nutrition & Sleep
2. How sleep affects nutrition
3. How nutrition affects sleep
4. Nutritional tips for good sleep
5. Conclusion

1. Nutrition & Sleep

We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, and for good reason. During sleep, numerous regeneration processes take place, hormone levels and metabolism are regulated, and experiences of the day are processed in our brain. In addition to good sleep, a balanced and healthy diet is also very important for our health and performance in everyday life, because our body needs enough energy and a good supply of nutrients both during the day and while we sleep. At night, when we regenerate, our body works at full speed to refill the important energy stores and provide new energy for the coming day.

Our sleep and our daily diet therefore fundamentally interact in a healthy way. A healthy diet and balanced nutrient supply have a decisive influence on our sleep and falling asleep behavior, while the length and quality of our nightly sleep can affect our eating behavior.

2. How sleep affects nutrition

Even during the night and especially during deep sleep phases, the body needs many nutrients to support the numerous regeneration processes and to fill the energy stores in the cells. Sleep problems or lack of sleep disrupt these regenerative processes and can also disrupt the hormonal balance.

Our hunger and satiety are mainly controlled by the two hormones leptin and ghrelin. While we produce more of the appetite-stimulating ghrelin during the day, leptin ensures that we do not feel any appetite during sleep. Various studies show that a lack of sleep This hormone cycle is affected and promotes a strong feeling of hunger during the day, so that people eat more and more often during the day if they have not slept enough the night before. lack of sleep It also slows down fat metabolism, puts the body under stress and has a negative effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Sufficient and restful sleep is therefore an important factor for healthy eating habits during the day and should also be taken into account if you want to weight loss not be forgotten.

3. How nutrition affects sleep

How, what and when we eat determines the type and quality of energy and nutrients that we provide to our body. Our daily diet influences numerous processes in our body and affects, among other things, our metabolism, our hormone balance and supports normal body functions, which, for example, regulate the sleep-wake rhythm and enable us to fall asleep quickly and have a restful night. With sensible eating habits and the avoidance or intake of certain nutrients, falling asleep and sleeping can be specifically improved.

Eating Behavior & Sleep

Consuming hard-to-digest foods, especially shortly before going to bed, can have a negative effect on sleep, as the digestive organs are working intensively and keeping the body busy. It is therefore advisable not to eat your last meal too late so that the digestive process is completed before going to bed and sleep is not disturbed. For a healthy diet that has a positive effect on sleep, it is also advisable to combine proteins, carbohydrates and fats in a balanced ratio. Basically, foods rich in carbohydrates can help you fall asleep faster, while a diet rich in protein can have a positive effect on sleep quality. Proteins support the important regenerative processes during sleep and enable the absorption of the amino acid L-tryptophan, which our body ultimately needs for the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

Food, certain nutrients & sleep

And certain nutrients also affect our sleep. Stimulating foods such as caffeine or large amounts of alcohol should be avoided in the late afternoon and evening, as they can have a negative effect on sleep. Caffeine promotes alertness and stimulates the nervous system, which makes it difficult to relax before sleep and to fall asleep. Alcohol also has a negative effect on sleep due to the breakdown products produced during digestion and can lead to problems falling asleep and staying asleep.

Particular Groceries but also provide valuable nutrients that can have a positive effect on falling asleep and sleep quality. These include, for example, the vitamin C responsible for a healthy sleep-wake rhythm sleep hormone melatonin and its precursor L-tryptophan and the mineral magnesium. You can find out which foods and nutrients can help you fall asleep in this Article.

4. Nutritional tips for good sleep

➥ Avoid nerve stimulants containing caffeine, large amounts of alcohol or nicotine in the last few hours before going to sleep.

➥ Pay attention to your fluid intake and drink enough throughout the day to keep your metabolism active. Water, light fruit juice or unsweetened tea are best.

➥ Heavy meals disrupt sleep. Avoid fatty or sugary foods in the evening and eat a last meal, preferably light, up to 3 hours before going to bed.

➥ Some Groceries provide valuable nutrients that can have a positive effect on falling asleep. These include grapes and sour cherry juice (melatonin), bananas & almonds or the famous hot milk with honey (L-tryptophan) as well as pumpkin seeds & whole grain products (magnesium).

5. Conclusion

Nutrition and sleep actually have an important interaction. While sufficient and restful sleep helps us to maintain healthy eating habits, the way we eat and consume nutrients makes a decisive contribution to the quality of our nightly sleep and the process of falling asleep in the evening. If you want to improve your sleep in the long term or positively influence your own eating habits, you should also support the other area so that nothing stands in the way of a healthy and productive everyday life!

Best regards and see you soon!