Diet and insomnia

Diet and insomnia

Diet can play a role in the quality of your sleep, since some natural chemicals in your body enhance sleep and what you eat will affect these.

Caffeine

We all know this is a stimulant and that we shouldn’t drink it before bed. However the effect of caffeine does vary depending on your sensitivity to it – so if (like us) you drink reasonable quantities of coffee every day you may not be affected by a coffee in the evening.

Remember that caffeine is in over-the-counter medication and chocolate as well as the obvious sources of tea, coffee and many fizzy drinks.  Also, decaff coffee is not caffeine free, so if you are caffeine sensitive this is best avoided too.

Alcohol
1 standard drink in the evening may not have negative effects on sleep for most people, but  drinking more than this can affect sleep. 

·        REM (dream) sleep (which is the restorative stage of sleep)  is affected by alcohol

·        Circadian rhythms are disrupted since alcohol supresses the secretion of melatonin by over 40% (melatonin is a hormone which makes you feel sleepy)

·        Alcohol may also affect sleep by leading to an increase in alertness through the chemicals which are released as it is broken down by the body.

So, if you suffer with poor sleep, think about when and how much alcohol you drink.

Milk

If your infant has a poor sleep pattern, a milk intolerance could be making their sleep worse.  Studies have shown a normalization of sleep patterns in children when cows milk is removed from the diet.  Have a chat with your health visitor or GP before removing cows milk from your infants diet so you can choose an alternative.

Conversely dairy does contain magnesium and calcium; low intakes of these have been linked to sleep problems.  Magnesium and calcium help muscles relax so try including nuts, beans, leafy veg and oily canned fish (like sardines), wholegrain carbohydrates and seafood.  Additionally dairy products help to boost serotonin which helps us to feel sleepy.

Medications which may affect sleep

·        Over-the-counter weight loss medications can also contain caffeine and these have been shown in trials to lead to insomnia.  See – there are so many reasons you shouldn’t be taking diet pills…

·        Benzodiazepines are sometimes prescribed for short periods to treat anxiety and sleep problems (longer term use of  more than 4 weeks can make them less effective as well as potentially becoming addicted). Examples of these include Diazepam and Lorazepam.  Studies have shown that elderly patients can be helped by prescribing melatonin rather than Benzodiazepines.

Foods to include

·       Tryptophan is an amino acid  which is a precursor of melatonin.  This is found is protein and carbohydrates – try to boost your levels by including turkey, tuna, bananas, figs, whole grain crackers and milk in the evening. Eating wholegrain carbohydrates also stimulates the release of insulin which helps tryptophan cross into the brain where it stimulates serotonin.

·       Look at iron sources in your diet especially if you have restless legs at night or are pregnant.  Studies have found that iron deficiency (even without you being diagnosed as anaemic) is associated with both these conditions.  Low levels of iron in the brain lead to dysfunction of dopamine (a brain chemical used to regulate sleep and waking).

·       A recent study showed that eating 2 kiwi fruit 1 hour before bedtime improved sleep quality (as reported on Food Hospital recently).  Although this was a small scale study there was a significant improvement in sleep.  Worth trying as its cheap and easy to do.

Supplements which may help
There is some evidence that Valerian supplement could help sleep, but without the ‘morning hangover’ effect that prescribed sedatives have.  Doses of 400-500 mg/day have been shown to significantly increase sleep quality.  However Valerian can have potentially dangerous interactions with barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opiates (such as codeine and Vicidin) and alcohol.
 

References:

Hsiao-Han Lin et al (2011) Effects of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems.  Available at http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/Volume20/vol20.2/Finished/3_1900_169-174.pdf

Monti JM & Jantos H (2008) The roles of dopamine and serotonin  Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18772053

National Sleep Foundation (2010) Melatonin and sleep.  Available at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/melatonin-and-sleep

Nutrition MD (2012) Insomnia: nutritional considerations. Available at: http://www.nutritionmd.org/health_care_providers/psychiatric/insomnia_nutrition.html

Patient UK (2012) Benzodiazepines and Z drugs.  Available at: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Benzodiazepines-and-Z-Drugs.htm