Do You Eat a Dish of Ice-Cream Before Going to Bed at Night?
Here’s Why You Should Reconsider
Study reveals certain foods actually impact quality of your sleep
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reveals that what we eat before bed impacts the quality of our sleep. http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=6072
The study found that foods that were low in fiber or high in saturated fat and sugar resulted in people having lighter, less restorative sleep and waking up intermittently throughout the night.
High fiber foods were found to help people get deeper, more restorative sleep, as well as fall asleep faster, while foods that were high in fat and sugar, impacted people’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
“The findings of this study are important because our body’s ability to get restful sleep impacts our overall health,” says Lauri Leadley, clinical sleep educator and president of Valley Sleep Center.
“If we continually are getting low quality sleep or not enough sleep our body does not properly recover from our day, and then we have an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure,” according to Leadley.
By making a simple change to the foods we eat before bed, we can sleep better, and feel better too.
So what should we avoid eating before bed and what should we eat before bed? Leadley offers the following lists:
Foods to Avoid Before Bed
• Gourmet (full fat) ice-cream
• Cheese and other dairy products made with 2% or whole milk
• Butter, cream
• Fried foods such as French fries
• White breads
• Cakes, pies, desserts
• Plain pasta or noodles
• White rice
• Crackers, zwieback, melba, and matzo (no cracked wheat or whole grains)
• Cereals without whole grains, added fiber, seeds, raisins, or other dried fruit
• Fatty beef
• Lamb
• Pork
• Poultry with skin
• Chocolate
• Caffeinated foods and drinks
Foods to Eat Before Bed
• Nonfat or low-fat dairy products (without added sugar) such as cottage cheese or plain yogurt
• Fresh fruit
• Nuts, seeds
• Whole grains, cracked grains, or whole wheat products
• Graham crackers
• Bran
• Wheat germ
• Fruits and vegetables
• Fish (preferably oily fish high in omega-3 fatty acids), skinless poultry, and plant-based alternatives
About Valley Sleep Center
Since 2002, Valley Sleep Center has provided Arizona with diagnostic sleep disorder testing in a home-like atmosphere, ensuring a comfortable, relaxing experience for patients.
Their physicians are Board Certified Sleep Medicine Specialists and are accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. They provide diagnostic testing for a multitude of sleep related disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, hypertension, sleepwalking, and pediatric sleep problems. www.valleysleepcenter.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendy Kenney, Media Relations
(480) 242-5219 / wnkenney@gmail.com
