How Diet and Exercise Affect Your Sleep
How Diet and Exercise Affect Your Sleep
It’s 3 A.M. again, and that marks the third restless night. Unfortunately, if this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Approximately one-third of people struggle with sleep problems, and about twenty-five percent of the American population experience insomnia.
The culprit? Research has many ideas, but two common factors always play some role or responsibility: diet and exercise.
Alters Metabolism
Diet and exercise and your metabolism go hand in hand. If you adopt a proper exercise routine and diet, your metabolism will stabilize, leading to a balanced weight and better sleep. However, if you don’t, you can negatively alter it leading to increased weight. Increased weight can restrict airways, cause inflammation and stress on the body, affecting the way you sleep.
Heavy on the Digestive System
Big meals right before bed that are heavy in sugar, fats, and protein will affect your sleep and lead to poor digestion. This can lead to increased blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, and other alignments, making it difficult to fall asleep. A well-balanced diet keeps your blood sugars and flow balances and allows oxygen to flow throughout the body easily.
Diet can reduce or worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety that can, in turn, worsen symptoms of insomnia. Avoid foods high in sugar or fats to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is the primary factor for adverse health effects.
Shifts Your Circadian Rhythm
Research shows that changing your diet can reprogram your body’s clock or circadian rhythm. Poor sleep is often linked to obesity or metabolic diseases resulting from improper diet and exercise. Sleep deprivation also increases hormones telling you that you are hungry when you are not keeping the ugly cycle going and increasing or worsening obesity. Therefore, it’s crucial to adopt a healthy diet first when adjusting your sleep schedules. Reducing obesity is the first step to proper sleep.
Dehydration
A common yet easily overlooked culprit to lack of sleep is dehydration. An Improper diet full of sugar and salts can rid your body of needed hydration that leads to symptoms of dehydration such as irritability, fatigue, or insomnia. It dries out your mouth and nasal passages, making it difficult to get to sleep or be comfortable throughout the night. Dehydration can also lead to cramps, inflammation, and lack of oxygen.
Ask your nutritionist and doctor what exercise routine and diet plan are best for you if you suffer from sleep problems. Diet and exercise or lack thereof are likely to blame.
