Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you toss and turn, unable to get comfortable? Or do you find yourself waking up halfway through the night?
As it turns out, what you’re putting on your plate during the day may be the cause of your nighttime woes.
So, before you reach for an over-the-counter sleep aid medication, have you considered what you’re putting into your body? The foods we eat, and when we eat them, have a strong influence on our ability to get a good night’s rest.
While medical sleep aids can help in the short-term, in the long run, they put you at risk for developing a dependence on them, and rising tolerance requires higher and higher doses to have the same effect.
Furthermore, these medications do not promote good quality sleep and can come along with some pretty hefty side effects such as dizziness, daytime drowsiness, and nausea. Most importantly, they do not address the underlying cause of your sleep problems!
In general, to not negatively impact your sleep you should avoid large late-night meals: Instead, eat your biggest meal at lunch time. Also, try not to eat within two hours of your bedtime.
In addition to these guidelines, there are foods which are known sleep-stealers which you should avoid in order to ensure you’re getting the rest you need.