Does food really impact your sleep? Absolutely! What you eat and when you can make a difference with sleep.

While there are many things involved in sleep, what we eat and when we eat matters.

Here are 3 ideas to explore to improve your sleep.

1

Lighten Up

Lighten up what you eat, especially in the evening. Big dinners make you temporarily sleepy but may prolong digestion, which can interfere with quality sleep. Eat larger meals earlier in the day and target a dinner of 500 calories or less. Lighten up your food choices throughout the day too. Research shows that eating less fiber, more saturated fat, and more sugar throughout the day is linked with lighter and less restorative sleep.

2

Eat Smart Sleep Snacks

If you are going to snack at night, choice foods that have melatonin, serotonin, and tryptophan. Examples are bananas, berries, lean proteins, and nuts like almonds and walnuts.

3

Watch Your Sugar Intake

Overall, limiting sugar is good for your health, but lower added sugar intake has been connected to better sleep. Too much sugar in your diet has a direct effect on blood sugar levels and can impact energy levels throughout the day. Inconsistent blood sugar can also affect sleep. Women should target 24 grams of added sugar or less per day.

Bonus

4

Lay Off Wine Before Bedtime

While a glass of red wine can make you tired, science tells us that it disrupts the quality of your sleep. Your brain produces a stimulant to counterbalanced the chemicals your brain produces after drinking alcohol. This is what cause you to wake up several hours after drinking at night and makes you feel lest rested after a night of drinking.