Ian's Nutrition Tips - March
Good nutrition can influence the quality of sleep, and there are a number of folklores about what can help and hinder a good night. There is a genuine link between eating cheese and subsequent sleep quality, as cheese contains tyramine, which is thought to increase the production of noradrenaline from the adrenal glands. When levels are elevated, the mind is more active than it should be through the night, not to a level where you are woken but certainly to that which could in theory make dreams more vivid. Tyramine is also found in bacon, ham, sausages, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and smoked meats and, sadly, chocolate too. So the late night pizza will have to be a thing of the past...
There is another strong link between the adrenal glands and sleep, as cortisol, another stress hormone is supposed to be secreted during the day, with levels falling through the day leading to low levels at night allowing sleep. In cases of long term or excessive stress, cortisol does not fall and as such can hinder falling asleep or lead to waking through the night. The adrenal glands are also influenced by caffeine and excess sugars so these need to be minimised overall.
There are foods that can encourage sleep, such as bananas, dates and cottage cheese, both sources of tryptophan, another amino acid that is itself linked to levels of melatonin. This hormone is secreted by the pineal gland which is inactive during the day, and become activated in response to signals from the eyes as they register increasing darkness.
In practice, I have found that reducing adrenal stimulation by eliminating caffeine altogether, combined with some stress reducing pastimes such as yoga or meditation can have truly beneficial effects.
