What You Should Consume Before Bedtime
- Snacks: If you eat a couple of foods that are high in simple carbohydrates when you’re done eating dinner, you’ll find that you may be able to fall asleep a bit faster. Some of these foods include crackers, peanut butter and toast, almonds, potatoes, yogurt etc. These foods are quick and easy to digest and they help you to fall asleep faster. It is best to avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar such as ice cream. You should also avoid spicy foods since you may have issues digesting them and they can cause you to stay up during the night.
- Avoid eating late: It is best to avoid eating about 2 to 3 hours before you go to bed. When you choose a dinner time and stick to it every day, this also helps to improve your circadian rhythm which positively impacts your sleep. According to WHOOP members, when they eat too close to their bed time, they typically get less sleep at night by about 26 minutes. They also get 3% less REM sleep and recovery the next day is also reduced by 10%.
When you eat an hour or two before sleep time, this can negatively impact your REM sleep, recovery as well as how much time you actually spend sleeping overall.
- Consume warm beverages: In many cultures, drinking warm milk before bed is a tradition. This is due to the fact that warm milk has tryptophan which actually helps you to sleep. It is basically an amino acid which helps to create serotonin which is responsible for improving your mood, increasing feelings of relaxation and can assist in the creation of melatonin.
However, if you don’t consume milk or don’t like it, then you can drink chamomile tea. This will help to lower your depression, anxiety as well as improve your immune system. This tea contains an antioxidant known as apigenin which helps to cause sleepiness and prevents insomnia.
- Don’t consume caffeine: If you enjoy drinking coffee, you should avoid doing so in the afternoon. If you are particularly caffeine sensitive, then you should avoid drinking it after mid day. You should do some experimentation and see how your caffeine consumption affects your sleep.
- Avoid drinking alcohol: Even though alcohol may make you feel sleepy, it prevents good quality sleep. Alcohol negatively affects your sleep by not allowing you to get sufficient REM sleep as well as deep sleep.
Beautyrest customers recommend their mattresses for an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Wake up feeling refreshed with these tips.
