Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
This is the time change we generally prefer. Often, we define it by repeating to those who never know whether to set their watch forward or backward, “we’ll sleep one more hour!”. The transition to winter time this weekend is an opportunity to set the record straight on the subject of foods to avoid or favor to end up in the arms of Morpheus and wake up rested.
No to junk food for truly restful sleep
No chips, small prepared meals or soda before going to bed! In a study published last spring in the journal Obesity, researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden established a link between junk food and the impossibility of the deep slow-wave sleep phase being qualitative. A comparative analysis between a diet based on healthy foods and one containing products rich in fat and sugar was established by integrating the measurement of brain activity during sleep. The results demonstrated, not a difference in duration for each phase of sleep, but an alteration in quality. In short, in other words, you wake up less tired if you avoided the four-cheese pizza the night before.
It’s confirmed: you should avoid coffee in the evening
Ah, the little hot coffee when you get up in the morning! It’s just as delicious after lunch. But, before going to bed, it would be better to abstain, according to the latest scientific research. According to conclusions the most recent, revealed by American researchers at Wayne State University, you should stop drinking coffee at least six hours before bedtime. For what ? Quite simply because this is the time it takes for the body to eliminate caffeine. In short, by sipping your last kawa at 4 p.m., you won’t be able to go to bed until at least 10 p.m. It’s all about stimulating the brain’s receptors. The adrenaline production induced by caffeine lasts for two hours. Already ten years ago, previous searches revealed in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine indicated that by drinking a cup of coffee even six hours before bed, you could lose an hour of sleep… Fortunately, there is still the herbal tea to warm up before falling into the arms of Morpheus!
Banana… to protect yourself from nightmares
We often talk about the foods to avoid to optimize your chances of getting a good night’s sleep, less about those to favor. However, there is indeed a list of recommended products on which to include the banana. The fruit would help prevent nightmares. Presenting anti-stress benefits in a study published in 2017 in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, bananas prevent unwanted awakenings. It contains in particular an essential amino acid, tryptophan, which accompanies the production of melatonin, the famous sleep hormone. For its part, vitamin B6 ensures better quality of sleep.
Consult a doctor online for your sleep problems
Kiwi to fall asleep
We usually recommend kiwi to start the day given its richness in vitamins. And yet, you should also eat it before going to bed. Scientific research carried out in 2011 by the Taiwan Taipei Medical University have in fact indicated that by consuming two kiwis an hour before, falling asleep would be made easier by 35%. Likewise, the duration of sleep would be extended by 13%. The experiment was notably carried out with guinea pigs suffering from sleep disorders.