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

 

So... why don't you sleep?

So.... why don't you sleep?

There can be many reasons why you can’t sleep, some of which are discussed below:

 

 

 

Your mind is working overtime

We sleep in cycles of an hour and a half, so if we wake up briefly and something pops into our mind, we wake up more and then can’t get back to sleep again since our mind is churning.  Stress causes hyper-arousal which can upset this balance between sleep and wakefulness.

This is part of modern life to an extent, but it is easy to feel stressed when our expectations are not matched by our available time, energy or money!

Try:

Make a list of everything on your mind an hour before you go to bed and make sure you stop all work (including tweeting, checking Facebook or reading emails) at least 2 hours before bed.

Check Elaine’s sleep hygiene blog for more advice on simple measures you can take to make your bed a place to sleep (check the section on Simple Sleep Tips on our newsletter).

Overeating or indigestion

Eating  large meal before bed can lead to not being able to sleep.  When you lay down the acid in your stomach can cause heartburn, indigestion, as well as just feeling like your food baby is about to kick!

Try:

Ok, the obvious thing is not to eat a big meal and then go to bed, but stay up a while (or eat less!), however if you do overindulge, check out our blog on remedies for insomnia in the ‘homeopathy and sleeplessness’ section since you can take remedies which will relieve this symptoms.

Also, you may not know that going to bed hungry can lead to sleeplessness – so don’t ignore your hunger pangs and think about the calories you are saving!  Low blood sugar levels release glucagon a hormone with similar effects to adrenaline (the fight or flight hormone); glucagon is designed to keep you awake and alert.

Try:

Eat a small snack before bed if you are hungry – try a turkey or tuna sandwich, a banana or a milky drink since these all contain tryptophan which is an amino acid which is used to make serotonin (a hormone which produces healthy sleep and a stable mood). Have a look at my other blog on diet and insomnia for more information.

Feeling uncomfortable

A number of health complaints can leave you finding it hard to sleep.  Hot sweats (a common symptom of menopause), restless legs, some medication (such as that for asthma or depression) or a low mood (such as in anxiety and depression) will chronically affect sleep.

Try:

See your professional homeopath (yes – that’s us!) to get a good remedy to address your symptoms.

If you think your medication may be leading to your sleeplessness, don’t just stop it.  Go and see you GP or the consultant who prescribed it for you to discuss your condition.

There is no one magic bullet to address health complaints, but keeping a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and avoiding alcohol will improve your overall health.

 

References

Kavey, N (2001) Stress and Insomnia  Available at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/ask-the-expert/stress-and-insomnia

Vovick, L. (2010) Tryptophan  Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002332.htm