5 Tips for Better Sleep.
When I’m helping a client to deconstruct their eating behavior, something that I always take time to look at is their self-care. When self-care is lacking, certain feelings and emotions may feel more intense, which may make coping with anything but food more difficult (side note: coping with food is a-ok! Think about all of the times we eat food for more than just fuel. The point is to look at everything behind certain feelings and emotions just in case food isn’t doing to trick in terms of dealing with them). One part of self-care that is lacking for so many us is unfortunately sleep. Well good news - I've got 5 research-backed tips for you here to get more restful, restorative sleep. Spoiler alert: I'm not going to tell you to stop eating at 8pm, or avoid carbs after lunch. You know me better than that at this point.
1. Enjoy breakfast!
Having breakfast regularly is associated with healthier sleep habits, better sleep quality, AND a more stable blood glucose response in the afternoon and evening (goodbye spikes & drops and resulting energy crash). On the flip side, skipping breakfast is unfortunately associated with poor sleep (and it can also negatively impact insulin sensitivity if you've got that going on too, for instance with PCOS or diabetes).
2. Fuel your body all day long.
Eating irregularly is associated with poor sleep (as well as a higher risk of metabolic syndrome regardless of caloric intake). In other words... snacks are your friend and hunger is not the goal. Generally I like to recommend having snacks that pair some type of protein with fiber-containing carbs and healthy fats because this type of combination gives you longer lasting energy due to blood sugar stabilizing effects. Plus it just keeps you more full so you can go about your business and stop thinking about food! A good example of this type of snack is hummus with veggies, fruit with nut butter, hard boiled eggs (I love a good homemade egg salad!) with whole grain crackers, yogurt with granola, or a protein bar that combines all three elements!
3. Mix it up.
Did you know that less variety in the diet is associated with less sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and daytime sleepiness? So if you're feeling like your daily meals & snacks are feeling a little rigid, how can you add in more variety? Is there a new grain, bean, fruit, , etc. you can try? Even better if it's a food that's associated with good sleep, like pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, salmon or tuna, kiwis, tart cherries, or dairy. Also, our gut loves when we eat 30 or more different plant foods per week (think: grains, beans, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruit, legumes), so think of it like a challenge that has two benefits: sleep AND gut health!
4. Add in unsaturated fats.
The type of fat found in olive oil, olives, flax seed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, avocado, avocado oil, and fatty marine fish (i.e. salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, etc.) is what’s known as unsaturated fat (some of which are omega-3 fatty acids). This type of fat is a big part of the Mediterranean way of eating, which has been shown to be inversely associated with insomnia symptoms. Skimping on fat in the diet has also been shown to lead to non-restorative sleep and daytime sleepiness, so enjoy those great fat sources daily! In fact, I usually recommend to have some sort of healthy fat at every meal, every day.
5. Hydrate!
This may seem obvious, but greater water intake is associated with less non-restorative sleep, less daytime sleepiness, less likelihood of a short sleep duration, and fewer naps needed. Damn that's a lot of benefit! My favorite way to get in water is by making a big batch of iced tea at night (I’m currently loving mint tea) and sipping on it throughout the day. Another game changer could be adding a straw to your water glass or bottle. This really does help you to drink more water! A good rule of thumb is aiming for half of our body weight in ounces of fluid daily (so if you weigh 200 pounds, your fluid needs are around 100 oz/day). This is just an estimate, and you may need more or less depending on your activity level, climate, etc.
What can you do to support your self-care with sleep?
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