Sleeping and Eating: My two favorite things!
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb
Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002
I hate it when my foot falls asleep during the day, because that means it's going to be up all night. ~Steven Wright
Last night I got a great nights' sleep. Of course it's because I took Nyquil for my cold, but that's another matter. Today we continue with sleep.
Sleep cycle disruption is a common occurrence during the menopause years for a number of reasons, but today we're going to explore how you can modify what you eat to help you sleep a little better through the night.
Remember last Thanksgiving when you ate all that turkey and then wanted to nap instead of watching the football game on tv? That's because turkey - and really most poultry- has an amino acid called Tryptophan. This amino acid is actually needed by your brain to produce a neurotransmitter called serotonin which helps you to fall asleep and maintain sleep. Dairy products, seafood, some meats, whole grains and even peanuts all contain tryptophan, so when your grandmother told you to have a glass of warm milk before bedtime to help you sleep, she knew what she was talking about. Now when you eat tryptophan containing foods along with carbohydrates, the carbs make the amino acid more available to be secreted in your brain. This is an equal opportunity combo. The more tryptophan in your, brain the more serotonin. The more serotonin, the better you sleep. A little snack before bed time containing something in this combo may make you sleep better. But beware: eating before bed has been shown to increase weight gain, something you are already weary of during menopause.
It might be better to just modify the kinds of foods you are eating in the evening.
There are a myriad of foods that, if eaten anytime before bed, will have the opposite effect from tryptophan, and keep you awake. The most well known of these is, of course, caffeine. Avoid soda, coffee, tea and chocolate before bed, since these all contain varying levels of caffeine, which can last in your system for up to six hours. Time that out: if you have a cup of after dinner coffee at 9-ish when dinner is done, you can bet you will be still awake at 3 am. Not fun. And remember that caffeine can also induce hot flashes. Double not fun!
But things that have a lot of sugar, like cakes and ice cream will also keep you awake. Spicy foods, we've learned from previous blogs, will induce hot flashes, so if you have the all you can eat buffet for a late dinner at your local Mexican restaurant and then go home to bed, there's more than a good chance you will wake up a few times during the night because you're flashing. Was that bean burrito/enchalada combo worth it?
Now, I'm not saying don't go out for a romantic dinner with your hubby, or for drinks and desserts with the girls, but be wise in your choices. Sugary drinks like Cosmos will definitely wreck havoc with your sleep cycle, as will that after dinner birthday cake or cookie choice. The time you eat is another important factor. I know I personally hate to go out to eat dinner late, or to eat after seven pm at home. The reason is I usually fall into bed around 9-ish to read and, hopefully, fall asleep. I can't do that when my belly is sooooo full of food I ate just an hour or so before. Not only is it uncomfortable, I invariably will wake up in the morning nauseous or with indigestion from the food just sitting my stomach all night and not being worked off. It's better, physiologically, to eat several hours before bedtime to alleviate this. Now don't take this to mean you can run out and have the early bird 4:30 Special, because all that will do is make you hungry by 8 pm and you'll eat something to get rid of the hunger pains and then be up at night. Vicious cycle, thy name is early bird. Try to eat a moderate meal before 6:30 or seven. If you have to go out to a dinner function or catered affair - lucky you, by the way - make wise and smaller choices if it is after 7pm. Try to skip the dessert and coffee, even if it is decaf, because you'll probably wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and then have trouble getting back to sleep again.
Sleep is one of my favorite things, so I'm going to keep writing about it for a few more blogs. Next time we'll talk about sleep aides: prescription and natural ways to help you have a better night.
Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002
I hate it when my foot falls asleep during the day, because that means it's going to be up all night. ~Steven Wright
Last night I got a great nights' sleep. Of course it's because I took Nyquil for my cold, but that's another matter. Today we continue with sleep.
Sleep cycle disruption is a common occurrence during the menopause years for a number of reasons, but today we're going to explore how you can modify what you eat to help you sleep a little better through the night.
Remember last Thanksgiving when you ate all that turkey and then wanted to nap instead of watching the football game on tv? That's because turkey - and really most poultry- has an amino acid called Tryptophan. This amino acid is actually needed by your brain to produce a neurotransmitter called serotonin which helps you to fall asleep and maintain sleep. Dairy products, seafood, some meats, whole grains and even peanuts all contain tryptophan, so when your grandmother told you to have a glass of warm milk before bedtime to help you sleep, she knew what she was talking about. Now when you eat tryptophan containing foods along with carbohydrates, the carbs make the amino acid more available to be secreted in your brain. This is an equal opportunity combo. The more tryptophan in your, brain the more serotonin. The more serotonin, the better you sleep. A little snack before bed time containing something in this combo may make you sleep better. But beware: eating before bed has been shown to increase weight gain, something you are already weary of during menopause.
It might be better to just modify the kinds of foods you are eating in the evening.
There are a myriad of foods that, if eaten anytime before bed, will have the opposite effect from tryptophan, and keep you awake. The most well known of these is, of course, caffeine. Avoid soda, coffee, tea and chocolate before bed, since these all contain varying levels of caffeine, which can last in your system for up to six hours. Time that out: if you have a cup of after dinner coffee at 9-ish when dinner is done, you can bet you will be still awake at 3 am. Not fun. And remember that caffeine can also induce hot flashes. Double not fun!
But things that have a lot of sugar, like cakes and ice cream will also keep you awake. Spicy foods, we've learned from previous blogs, will induce hot flashes, so if you have the all you can eat buffet for a late dinner at your local Mexican restaurant and then go home to bed, there's more than a good chance you will wake up a few times during the night because you're flashing. Was that bean burrito/enchalada combo worth it?
Now, I'm not saying don't go out for a romantic dinner with your hubby, or for drinks and desserts with the girls, but be wise in your choices. Sugary drinks like Cosmos will definitely wreck havoc with your sleep cycle, as will that after dinner birthday cake or cookie choice. The time you eat is another important factor. I know I personally hate to go out to eat dinner late, or to eat after seven pm at home. The reason is I usually fall into bed around 9-ish to read and, hopefully, fall asleep. I can't do that when my belly is sooooo full of food I ate just an hour or so before. Not only is it uncomfortable, I invariably will wake up in the morning nauseous or with indigestion from the food just sitting my stomach all night and not being worked off. It's better, physiologically, to eat several hours before bedtime to alleviate this. Now don't take this to mean you can run out and have the early bird 4:30 Special, because all that will do is make you hungry by 8 pm and you'll eat something to get rid of the hunger pains and then be up at night. Vicious cycle, thy name is early bird. Try to eat a moderate meal before 6:30 or seven. If you have to go out to a dinner function or catered affair - lucky you, by the way - make wise and smaller choices if it is after 7pm. Try to skip the dessert and coffee, even if it is decaf, because you'll probably wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and then have trouble getting back to sleep again.
Sleep is one of my favorite things, so I'm going to keep writing about it for a few more blogs. Next time we'll talk about sleep aides: prescription and natural ways to help you have a better night.
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