The Impact of Diet and Exercise on Sleep Quality

Do you struggle to fall asleep at night? Do you wake up feeling more exhausted than when you went to bed? Do you rely on caffeine, pills, or other stimulants to get through the day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to rethink your diet and exercise habits. Diet and exercise play a critical role in sleep quality, and may just be the bridge between you and restful nights and energized days - without having to rely on medication. Let’s discuss.

How Diet Affects Sleep

Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand when it comes to improving sleep. However, breaking each habit down into smaller, more digestible bits of information may make them easier to implement. For example, some food and drink can help you sleep better, while others can make it more difficult to fall asleep.

Foods that are high in fat, sugar, acid, or spice can interfere with your sleep by causing indigestion, heartburn, or acid reflux. These foods can also trigger the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, that can kick your body into high-gear alertness. In addition, you also want to stay away from caffeine and alcohol before bed. Caffeine stays in your system for up to six hours after consumption, and it stimulates your nervous system and blocks the effects of adenosine, a sleep chemical. Great for some things, terrible for sleep. The same goes for alcohol - which may make you feel sleepy and relaxed at first, but quickly reduces your sleep quality.

Now, onto the good stuff. Foods that are rich in tryptophan, like turkey, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, and milk, help your body produce serotonin and melatonin, hormones that make you sleepy and relaxed. Foods that contain magnesium, like spinach, avocado, banana, and dark chocolate, help relax your muscles and nerves. Lastly, foods that are high in fiber, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, can improve your sleep by preventing the blood sugar spikes and crashes that disrupt your sleep cycle. The most important thing to note with any of this is while some foods may be beneficial to your sleep, it’s always recommended for optimal sleep that you don’t eat 3 hours prior to laying down for bed. 

How to Make Yourself Tired? 

A straightforward question with a straightforward answer: exercise. Exercise can have tremendous mental and physical health benefits for everybody, but particularly for those who have trouble sleeping. Furthermore, this has a compounding effect for anyone trying to further improve their health; scientific research says quality sleep leads to better athletic performance.

Regular, moderate, and consistent exercise not only reduces stress and anxiety, but it also regulates your circadian rhythm - your natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness. Exercising regularly, at the same time every day, gets your body into a groove. It increases your body’s internal temperature, which spikes your energy levels following your workout and makes you sleepy once your temperature drops again later. If you exercise during the morning or afternoon, you can benefit from the energizing effects of exercise during the day, and can cool down at night. Exercise at least three hours before bed to experience peak regulation.

A few general sleep hygiene guidelines to follow: be consistent, eat nutritious foods, and exercise regularly. If you get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed, and avoid eating anything at least a few hours before bed, you’ll find the improvement in your sleep quality to be sensational.

Where The Sleep Syndicate Comes In

Diet and exercise are two crucial habits you can take action on today to enhance your sleep quality. Start with the tips we’ve gone over in this article to optimize your diet and workout routines, and enjoy the benefits of restful nights and energized days. If you want to take your sleep even further, join The Sleep Syndicate today and get 10% off our six-week program!