How to sleep smarter - Eat to sleep

Eat to Sleep

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 3 Mins
Last Updated: April 2022

In this article:
How to be more like sleeping beauty

With all of the constant input constantly fighting for our attention sleep deprivation has become part of the norm as ailments go in the west.  The science is clear on the fact that sleep is crucial to our health and well-being and as someone who has always struggled with sleeping I needed to research how I can get some better z's. In this article I share some of the things I learned:

• Your diet can actually impact your overall ability to get to sleep and your sleep quality
• There are foods you can eat before bedtime to help you get to sleep faster
• A list of sleep inducing foods

​As someone who suffers with chronic sleep issues I have been diving into this topic lately to see how I can improve my overall sleep quality and ability to fall asleep.  I have found that there is a big connection between our nutrition, what we eat, and how it impacts our sleep.  You can actually eat food to help you sleep. 
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Before we get into the foods let's first let's look at why sleep is so important.  When we lack enough sleep, and especially restorative sleep where we go through all of the sleep cycles, we are not getting the crucial recovery both our body and mind need to keep us healthy. During our sleep there are many processes that go on to clean the mind and store memories, to regenerate muscles and cells, and give us needed rest to look and feel our best. Lack of sleep has been linked to many issues even obesity, memory loss and over a prolonged period, disease. In fact some of the leading experts are now saying that sleep may be even more important to your overall health than even diet and exercise.  

I am just touching the surface on this topic as there are now countless new studies and experts researching sleep and its effects but to get a better high-level overview on the topic check out the following video: 
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As mentioned, seeing as I am looking into improving my sleep quality, I am sure there will be more posts to come that focus on the latest studies and things you can try in order to protect and improve your sleep. However, as the title alludes, today we will focus on a simple way to improve sleep, and this is achieved through our diet.  Luckily there are certain foods that we can add to our diet that helps us sleep and sleep better.  
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​FOODS TO HELP YOU SLEEP

• Kiwis
• Sweet potatoes
• Turkey
• Fatty Fish
• Almonds
• Warm Milk
• Bananas
• Popcorn
• Cottage Cheese
• Avocado
• Chickpeas/Hummus
• Eggs

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The above is a short list of foods that you can easily add to your diet or have as a bedtime snack that have proven to help sleep.  To learn more about why these foods help you sleep or for some additional food sources that aid sleep check out the following videos: 
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I would love to hear what foods you tested to help you sleep and which helped the most. Please let me know down in the comments. If you have any other foods to recommend or any sleep tips please share so we can all benefit and be well.

Design a Life You Love ~ Be Authentic. Be You. Be Sharp
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Eat to Sleep

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Sources:

• Subscribe to Tom Bilyeau on YouTube ~ Why Sleep is More Important Than Diet | Shawn Stevenson on Health Theory
• Subscribe to Shawn Stevenson on Youtube ~ EAT THESE FOODS To Improve Your SLEEP QUALITY Today! | Shawn Stevenson
• Subscribe to NestedTV on Youtube ~ Our Top 7 Foods to Eat Before Bed to Sleep Better
• Subscribe to Gulf News on Youtube ~ 10 foods that help you sleep better