The Connection Between Sleep and Nutrition
What you eat affects how you sleep, and how you sleep affects what you eat. This bidirectional relationship creates either a virtuous cycle that supports health or a vicious cycle that undermines it. Certain nutrients play specific roles in sleep regulation. Magnesium helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system that is responsible for relaxation. Tryptophan, found in turkey, eggs, and dairy, is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, hormones that regulate sleep. Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin. Complex carbohydrates help tryptophan enter the brain more effectively. On the flip side, caffeine consumed within six hours of bedtime significantly disrupts sleep quality even if you do not notice it. Large heavy meals close to bedtime can cause discomfort and acid reflux. Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster but severely disrupts the restorative deep sleep and REM sleep stages later in the night. Poor sleep in turn disrupts hunger hormones, increasing ghrelin which stimulates appetite and decreasing leptin which signals fullness, setting the stage for overeating.
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