How to Use Food to Fall Asleep

When one wants to begin the journey towards better health and vitality, a good place to start is getting a a good nights sleep on a consistent basis. The reasons are many: A good night’s sleep supports optimal weight and reduces cravings for junk food and extra calories during the next day. It also supports better blood sugar control, preventing diabetes. A good night’s sleep supports the immune system, even reducing the risk of developing autoimmune diseases. Additionally, getting a good night’s sleep is also critical for maintaining a positive mood and having balanced emotions, and helping the brain to “clean itself”, so to speak, from cellular waste and debris. And on a personal note, if I don’t get a good nights sleep for more than 2 or 3 nights in a row, my mood will rapidly deteriorate the following day.

Before we go further, I just want to let you know that I get it. We all have stuff that needs to be done. Pulling an all nighter once in a while or staying up late now and then should be fine for most people and not negatively impact our long term health. 

Or for those of you who have no choice, maybe you just have had a baby, work nights, or are in some kind of demanding schooling or training like a residency, it’s all good. In these cases, you have to think of sleep as a cost to benefit. The benefit, that is the end result like a child, making money, or a career outweighs the cost, which is the lack of sleep and potential health setback. But long term out in the future, getting a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis should be a high priority goal. 

However, for those where the cost outweighs the benefit, like maybe a computer or work addiction or Netflix tv series binging, you seriously have to ask yourself, is the cost to my health by not getting enough sleep really worth it?

So now that we addressed the elephant in the room, I want to find some simple yet often overlooked food and nutritional strategies that can support sleep, for people of all ages.

A major nutrient that I feel unfortunately is not getting the love when it comes to supporting restful sleep, both falling asleep and preventing waking up, is potassium. It could be because potassium supports healthy nerve function, and also promotes muscle relaxation. 

Biochemically speaking, potassium energizes cells. So why is it relaxing? Many people think of sleep as restoring energy, which is of course true. However, did you know that it actually takes energy to fall and stay asleep. And that is where I think potassium plays a role. 

Our nervous system is complex, and potassium plays a big part. When we sleep, our brain is still on, and potassium is a critical nutrient enabling our nervous system to work, allowing for electrical signals to move. If we are deficient, and many people are, sleep may be difficult to achieve or less restorative. And the same holds true for the mineral magnesium, which many people have by now heard of. 

And some good food sources of potassium are potatoes, beans, and melons. 

Another great way to help one to fall asleep is by eating more carbs at dinner or before bed. Yes! And by carbs I mean healthy carbs, like rice, quinoa, potatoes, beans, oats like in oatmeal, etc. Besides having nutrients in them like potassium, eating carbs can actually increase serotonin in the brain, and just in case you don’t know, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is relaxing, helping to support sleep. Serotonin is also turned into melatonin. Eating carbs at nighttime may also to help lower stress hormones, like cortisol in the body, and having cortisol elevated at night can inhibit sleep. 

Inflammatory foods can play a big role in sleep quality, like apnea. Eating a lot of junk foods, or even foods people can be commonly sensitive to like wheat and dairy, can increase inflammation in the body and could worsen sleep apnea. I find that many of my clients have improvements in sleep quality, feeling more refreshed, when they add into their diet more fruits and veggies and other whole foods, reducing inflammation in their body. 

Hormone balance is another one, especially for females during mid life. A key hormone that can help to support sleep in females is progesterone, which can best be supported with proper diet and lifestyle. 

As far as sleep quality goes, the darker the room the better. Some people can be very sensitive to just small lights like an alarm clock or a street lamp from outside. Looking at screens right before bed, especially action tv shows, will increase cortisol, and prevent falling asleep for many. And on another personal note, I used to be able to watch a movie before bed and be fine. If I do now, I have a very hard time falling asleep. 

Check out my programs here, which not only help one to lose weight, but can support healthy sleep.