Sleep: These Before-Bed Diet Habits Can Help Improve Your Quality Of Sleep

Generally speaking, a balanced diet consisting primarily a range of fruits and vegetables is able to give the daily needed consumption of vitamins and nutrients, aiding in improved sleep and encouraging a healthy weight. 

It is difficult to conduct studies that convincingly show a specific diet that is best for sleep because both nutrition and sleep are exceedingly complicated and involve numerous interconnected systems of the body. Instead, it seems that getting enough nourishment without overindulging in bad meals is more crucial.

Having a sufficient intake of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to support practically all physiological systems and processes is a key aspect of nutrition. Continue reading as we share some diet habits you can adopt to improve your quality of sleep. 

Diet habits that will boost your quality of sleep:

1. Eat foods that boost melatonin

Food also contains the ingredients necessary for melatonin synthesis. An amino acid called tryptophan can be found in lean protein sources such dairy, chicken, eggs, and seafood. It is a crucial component of the body's formula for serotonin, which is then transformed into melatonin. Foods like pasta, bread, rice, and potatoes, when consumed in moderation, can also promote restful sleep since your body needs carbohydrates to make tryptophan.

2. Skip on midnight snacking

Do you frequently wake up in the middle of the night and find that unless you eat, you cannot go back to sleep? These nocturnal desires for snacks may be due to habit or hunger. Your greatest option in either situation is to stop the cycle. Instead of rewarding your stomach by indulging every time it wakes you up, try eating more frequently during the day. Instead, ignore the craving or read a book or sip some water. It can take two weeks or longer to stop the habit of a midnight snack.

3. Don't eat dinner right before bed time

Your circadian rhythm seems to be best managed by eating dinner at a time that gives your body enough time to digest meals before going to bed. Usually, this implies having dinner at least two to three hours before retiring. It might be particularly beneficial for those who wish to reduce weight, avoid overindulging and prevent nighttime acid reflux. However, if you find it difficult to stick to a normal dinnertime schedule, it is generally preferable to practise mindfulness and eat a filling late-night meal as opposed to skipping your final meal of the day entirely.

4. Drink a glass of milk sometime before bed time

Tryptophan and melatonin are two components of milk that may aid in sleep. Serotonin improves mood, encourages relaxation, and serves as a precursor in the melatonin hormone's synthesis. Your brain releases melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone. It assists in regulating circadian rhythm and gets the body ready for sleep. Tryptophan and melatonin have a well-established involvement in sleep disorders, and studies have showed that supplementing with these substances may improve sleep and lessen anxiety and depressive feelings that can arise before bed.

5. Incorporate nuts is your evening tea/ coffee time

Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and cashews are just a few of the nuts that are frequently recommended as ideal sleep foods. Nuts include melatonin as well as other minerals like magnesium and zinc that are crucial to a number of bodily activities, however the precise amounts can vary. Melatonin, magnesium, and zinc together were proven to improve sleep quality in older persons with insomnia in a clinical experiment employing supplements. Although snacking before bed should be avoided, snacking on nuts before or during dinner can pose beneficial.

Following these diet habits and eating foods that are known to improve sleep quality can help manage your sleep cycle better. 

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.