Importance of Nutrition in Sleep Pattern
There is an important link between sleep patterns and nutrition. It is important to follow a healthy and balanced diet to ensure a good sleep pattern. This will help support your body’s recovery and resting processes during sleep by getting all the essential nutrients your body needs. Also, a healthy diet can help regulate your sleep patterns and help you get quality sleep at night. In summary, it is important to adhere to a healthy diet to regulate your sleep patterns.
Sleeping problem is among the problems we often observe. Factors such as stress and interpersonal relationships can trigger this situation. Another issue that is known to have a great impact on sleep pattern is nutrition. Nutrition style affects the transition process of the person to sleep, as well as the duration and quality of sleep shapes the nutrition of the person during the day. The body that sleeps little and does not rest enough will turn to simple carbohydrate intake in order to close the energy deficit the next day, and this will also cause weight gain in the long run. Therefore, a quality sleep means a well-functioning metabolism. The nutrients that affect the sleep patterns of individuals are; glucose, tryptophan and tyrosine, essential fatty acids and caffeine.
Consumption of protein-containing food has an effect on sleep regulation. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is found in all protein foods and is the precursor of serotonin with its sleep-inducing feature. It is stated that after administration of tryptophan supplementation, the level of melatonin increases and the duration of sleep increases. For this reason, the sleep quality of those who are fed a diet with high tryptophan and protein content increases. Foods rich in tryptophan are; milk, cheese, nuts, salmon, turkey, banana, oatmeal, eggs. It is stated that the amount of free fatty acids in the brain, especially omega 3 and 6 acids, and their ratio to each other have a significant effect on the onset and continuation of sleep.
In the studies, it was determined that the total sleep time was affected by the changes in the diet of the people in the omega 6/3 ratio. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are two important fatty acids that are not produced by our body and must be taken from outside. It is necessary to consume them in a certain amount. This rate; It should be 1/2 2-3. In other words, while consuming 1 unit of Omega 3, it is necessary to consume 2 or 3 units of Omega 6 at most. Omega 3 sources mackerel , geranium, salmon, while walnuts, flax seeds, dark green leafy vegetables; Omega 6 sources are sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cocoa butter, oats, chicken almonds. Another ingredient that affects sleep patterns is caffeine. It has a high sleep delay and hyperactivity effect. Caffeine achieves this effect by reducing the effect of the neurotransmitter adenosine, which has a sleep-enhancing feature, on brain neurons after passing through the blood-brain barrier. These foods are; tea ( white tea, green tea, black tea), coffee and chocolate .
