Sleep Series: Ways To Get a Good Night's Sleep

Food intolerances are a relatively little-known contributor to sleep problems. When you eat something you are intolerant to, your immune system thinks it’s a foreign invader and reacts by triggering inflammation and the production of stress hormones.

These raised stress hormones lead to increased heart rate and alertness – the last thing you need as you’re trying to drift off.

If you think you have a food intolerance, keep a food diary for a few weeks, and note down how you feel after eating various foods. If you suspect a food might be giving you nasty side effects like bloating, diarrhoea, indigestion, or itchy rashes, cut it out of your diet for a couple of weeks before reintroducing it gradually to see if your symptoms return.

Late-night fridge raiders take note

Those midnight snacks and bedtime hot chocolates could be impacting on the quality of your sleep! Unruly blood sugar levels can lead to waking in the night and feelings of exhaustion in the morning. The best way to balance your blood sugar is to reduce refined carbohydrates such as white rice, bread, baked goods, sugary drinks and chocolate throughout the day. Instead eat balanced meals and snacks that contain fibre, protein and healthy fats.

If your blood sugar is high, your kidneys will try and get rid of the sugar through your urine, which means you’re more likely to be visiting the bathroom than getting some shut eye.

TAKE YOUR VITAMINS

Most of us don’t realise how much of an impact our diets can have on catching those all important zzz's. Certain nutrients are needed for dropping off, while others are essential for staying asleep. Magnesium has the ability to relax whichever cell it attaches to.

Circling thoughts or anxiety can keep you awake throughout the night, but magnesium can reduce anxiety and encourage a peaceful night’s sleep. Other vitamins, minerals and amino acids such as zinc, tryptophan, B12, B9 and iron play an integral role in our sleep cycle, too.

We recommend taking ou could try taking Neuro Rest supplement from Utmost Me, £15 from Amazon, which is 100% natural and rich in these ingredients. Or up your intake of magnesium-rich foods like avocado, almonds, bananas and figs.