Let’s explore six such diet myths that don’t affect your sleep cycle
While there are several factors that affect the quality of our sleep, our diet is often considered a crucial consideration
Sleep is an essential aspect of our lives, affecting our physical, emotional and mental well-being. While there are several factors that affect the quality of our sleep, our diet is often considered a crucial consideration. However, there are several nutritional myths related to sleep that are not supported by scientific evidence. Let’s explore nutrition myths that don’t affect your sleep cycle. dr Manoj Kutteri, CEO and Medical Director, Atmantan Wellness Center, and Tanisha Bawa, Certified Nutritionist, Founder of TAN|365 debunk these myths and provide insights into how diet affects our sleep patterns.
Myth 1: Eating a high-carb, high-protein meal before bed causes insomnia
Truth: Many people believe that eating before bed can cause insomnia or trouble sleeping. While it’s true that a heavy meal before bed can cause discomfort and disrupt your good night’s sleep, a light, balanced meal promotes sleep by providing the body with the nutrients it needs to promote relaxation. Many also believe that you shouldn’t eat carbohydrates or a high-protein diet at dinner. There is no evidence to support the claim that a high-carb or high-protein diet causes insomnia. While it’s true that eating too many carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar and impair melatonin secretion, eating some complex carbohydrates in moderate portions can help promote sleep by releasing certain neurotransmitters like serotonin. Therefore, it’s important to focus on consuming complex carbohydrates and avoiding foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates, which can interfere with sleep. Similarly, eating protein can also help you sleep by increasing serotonin levels and lowering cortisol levels, the hormones responsible for a good night’s sleep.
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Myth 2: Alcohol helps you sleep better
Truth: Alcohol as a sedative can make you feel sleepy and relaxed initially, but this is outweighed by the negative effect it has on sleep quality throughout the night. In the long run, this can disrupt your sleep. Alcohol disrupts the natural circadian rhythm, or sleep cycle, causing you to spend more time in lighter sleep phases and less time in deeper, restorative sleep phases. This can lead to poor sleep quality and leave you feeling light-headed and tired the next day.
Myth 3: Go to bed hungry to sleep better
Truth: You may have experienced that even though you go to bed hungry, you wake up feeling full. This is because when we go without food for a long time, our body releases glucose from the glycogen stores in the liver. This is said to help the body maintain blood sugar levels overnight while you sleep. This safety mechanism in the body helps prevent a sudden drop in sugar levels that lead to restlessness during sleep. To help this process, it’s better to have a healthy, light snack before bed.
Myth: Drink coffee after dinner to stimulate digestion
Truth: Caffeine delays the onset of adenosine, making you feel tired throughout the day. It also delays the onset of GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that calms you down and gets you ready for bed. Therefore, be careful not to consume caffeine late at night.
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