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You can't sleep ?
read this :
The sleepiest substance of all, is the amino acid tryptophan, which is used by the body to create the 'sleepy' brain chemical melatonin.
Tryptophan is found naturally in bananas, figs, cottage cheese, eggs, dried dates, halibut, seaweed, beef, turkey and milk. So maybe that childhood glass of milk just before bed wasn't such a bad idea after all.
It's not necessarily the amount of sleep you get that matters, says Marber, because everyone needs different amounts. What matters is the quality, and the key to sleepy eating is making sure deficiencies in your diet aren't keeping you awake.
Lack of minerals like magnesium and calcium, certain amino acids and vitamins C, D and the B-vitamins can all cause sleep problems, he says.
Here, we look at some ways to ehnahce your sleep.
Magnesium and calcium
Adequate levels of magnesium and calcium are important for sleep because the two minerals work together to contract and relax muscles. Deficiencies in either can result in difficulty relaxing, tension and night cramps.
Both minerals are found in fish, nuts and seeds and dark green vegetables. Dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese are an excellent dietary source of calcium (skimmed and semi-skimmed milk actually contain more calcium than whole milk).
Vitamins
As far as vitamins go, the most important are the B-vitamins which are found in wholegrains (unmodified grains like oat and rye flakes instead of rolled oats and flour), cereals, pulses, tofu, nuts, yeast extract, beef, fish, chicken, dairy products, eggs, asparagus, avocados, mushrooms, pak choi and broccoli.
These vitamins are necessary for the regulation of mood and relaxation which are essential for deep sleep. Vitamin B6 is also combined with tryptophan in the body to boost sleepiness.
Blueberries contain calcium,
magnesium and vitamin C
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitamins A and C are also good for sleep enhancement. They are found in fruit and vegetables like blueberries, kiwi, red berries, all green vegetables, citrus fruits, sweet potato, pumpkin and beetroot.
Blood sugar levels
The levels of sugar, or glucose, in the blood are important for sleep because of the way the regulating system works - irregular blood sugar can cause insomnia and troubled sleep.
The principle of blood suagr balance is that if the sugar level drops too low the body responds by releasing hormones into the blood to stimulate the release of glucose and raise the blood sugar to its normal level.
The hormones that are best at doing this are adrenaline and cortisol, which are released together as soon as the body detects a drop in glucose levels.
Unfortunately, a side effect of these two hormones, which are also known as 'stress' hormones, is to stimulate the heart to beat faster and the body to wake up and become alert and ready for action.
This can cause people to wake up suddenly in the early hours, as a result of blood glucose levels dropping and having to be raised by hormone release, and be unable to get back to sleep .
The solution, says Marber, is to stop the hormones being released in the first place. This means getting rid of late night foods like chocolate, puddings and processed foods because they cause an immediate sugar high, stimulating the body to use up sugar from the blood and resulting, a few hours later, in the drop that leads to the stress response.
It's not just high sugar foods that should be cut out in the evening. As anyone who has ever found themselves sitting bolt upright in bed in the early hours after a night on the town knows, alcohol's high sugar levels can have a disastrous effect on sleep patterns so cutting it out at night could help sleep.
read this :
The sleepiest substance of all, is the amino acid tryptophan, which is used by the body to create the 'sleepy' brain chemical melatonin.
Tryptophan is found naturally in bananas, figs, cottage cheese, eggs, dried dates, halibut, seaweed, beef, turkey and milk. So maybe that childhood glass of milk just before bed wasn't such a bad idea after all.
It's not necessarily the amount of sleep you get that matters, says Marber, because everyone needs different amounts. What matters is the quality, and the key to sleepy eating is making sure deficiencies in your diet aren't keeping you awake.
Lack of minerals like magnesium and calcium, certain amino acids and vitamins C, D and the B-vitamins can all cause sleep problems, he says.
Here, we look at some ways to ehnahce your sleep.
Magnesium and calcium
Adequate levels of magnesium and calcium are important for sleep because the two minerals work together to contract and relax muscles. Deficiencies in either can result in difficulty relaxing, tension and night cramps.
Both minerals are found in fish, nuts and seeds and dark green vegetables. Dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese are an excellent dietary source of calcium (skimmed and semi-skimmed milk actually contain more calcium than whole milk).
Vitamins
As far as vitamins go, the most important are the B-vitamins which are found in wholegrains (unmodified grains like oat and rye flakes instead of rolled oats and flour), cereals, pulses, tofu, nuts, yeast extract, beef, fish, chicken, dairy products, eggs, asparagus, avocados, mushrooms, pak choi and broccoli.
These vitamins are necessary for the regulation of mood and relaxation which are essential for deep sleep. Vitamin B6 is also combined with tryptophan in the body to boost sleepiness.
Blueberries contain calcium,
magnesium and vitamin C
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitamins A and C are also good for sleep enhancement. They are found in fruit and vegetables like blueberries, kiwi, red berries, all green vegetables, citrus fruits, sweet potato, pumpkin and beetroot.
Blood sugar levels
The levels of sugar, or glucose, in the blood are important for sleep because of the way the regulating system works - irregular blood sugar can cause insomnia and troubled sleep.
The principle of blood suagr balance is that if the sugar level drops too low the body responds by releasing hormones into the blood to stimulate the release of glucose and raise the blood sugar to its normal level.
The hormones that are best at doing this are adrenaline and cortisol, which are released together as soon as the body detects a drop in glucose levels.
Unfortunately, a side effect of these two hormones, which are also known as 'stress' hormones, is to stimulate the heart to beat faster and the body to wake up and become alert and ready for action.
This can cause people to wake up suddenly in the early hours, as a result of blood glucose levels dropping and having to be raised by hormone release, and be unable to get back to sleep .
The solution, says Marber, is to stop the hormones being released in the first place. This means getting rid of late night foods like chocolate, puddings and processed foods because they cause an immediate sugar high, stimulating the body to use up sugar from the blood and resulting, a few hours later, in the drop that leads to the stress response.
It's not just high sugar foods that should be cut out in the evening. As anyone who has ever found themselves sitting bolt upright in bed in the early hours after a night on the town knows, alcohol's high sugar levels can have a disastrous effect on sleep patterns so cutting it out at night could help sleep.
