The Relationship Between Nutrition and Sleep

Even if you diligently adhere to your dietary program, if you still cannot sleep well, we should know that nutrition is an important factor affecting your sleep quality. Studies conducted over the years have investigated the effect of nutrition on sleep. Some research suggests that not only does sleep affect dietary preferences, but the foods in your diet can also affect your sleep quality.
In addition to the stress and anxiety you encounter in your daily life, your dietary habits are another important factor affecting your sleep quality. Although it may not be known that dietary patterns affect your sleep quality directly, the foods you consume on a daily basis will indirectly affect your sleep pattern. Therefore, both a good sleep routine and quality sleep are essential for a healthy life and maintaining vitality in your daily life. Let's examine in detail what kind of dietary pattern you should establish for quality sleep.

The Importance of Foods in the Relationship Between Nutrition and Sleep

Some foods you consume daily can positively affect your sleep quality, while others make it difficult for you to fall asleep or get restful sleep. The food sources that positively or negatively affect your sleep quality mainly include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and caffeine. So, let's examine how these food components affect sleep:
Proteins:
All foods rich in protein, such as meat and dairy products, contain tryptophan, which helps increase the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, thus positively affecting your sleep quality.
Carbohydrates:
According to research, like proteins, foods rich in carbohydrates also positively affect sleep quality. However, foods with a high glycemic index, such as bread, pasta, and rice, which rapidly raise blood sugar levels, can make it difficult for you to fall asleep or negatively affect your sleep quality. Carbohydrates that positively affect sleep are low glycemic index fibrous carbohydrates that regulate blood sugar levels consistently.
Vitamins:
Vitamin D, among vitamins, is known as one of the factors triggering depression nowadays. If you have a deficiency of vitamin D, which is one of the most important symptoms of depression, you may frequently experience sleep disturbances. If you think you have a vitamin D deficiency and have sleep disturbances, you can consult your doctor after getting the necessary tests done.
Caffeine:

As everyone knows, caffeine is a substance that interferes with sleep. Research has shown that consuming coffee before bedtime can lead to sleep disturbances, frequent awakenings during sleep, and a decrease in the time spent in deep sleep. If you want to have a peaceful sleep, you can use caffeine during the times of day when you need energy.

Relationship Between Nutrition and Sleep in Terms of Weight
Now that we have talked about the relationship between nutrition and sleep, it is essential to emphasize the importance of nutrition in sleep quality. When you cannot find a balance between these two important factors, weight gain can occur. Here are some factors that will cause weight gain:
When you sleep at night, the hunger hormone called ghrelin is secreted more. In return, the hormone leptin, which is responsible for satiety, decreases. Therefore, when we sleep poorly, our appetite increases. As a result, those who stay up late at night may experience hunger late into the night.
When you do not have a specific sleep routine, your mealtime becomes uncertain. If you go to bed late at night, you are more inclined to eat because your mealtime intervals are longer. Therefore, regardless of your sleep routine, you should regulate your meal times appropriately and adhere to them. Otherwise, it will cause you to gain weight.
In stressful situations, our bodies start to produce a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is also an enemy of sleep and leads to fat storage. Therefore, when your sleep routine is disrupted, the production of the cortisol hormone increases, leading to weight gain.
When your sleep routine is poor, there will also be irregularities in the biological structure of your body. Therefore, the levels of happiness-inducing hormones such as serotonin in our bodies change, and the likelihood of emotional hunger, also known as binge eating, increases.
Foods That Regulate the Relationship Between Nutrition and Sleep

Oats:
Oats, which have recently become frequently included in dietary programs, are a good source of calcium. Calcium is one of the substances that facilitate sleep. Also, due to its rich content of quality carbohydrates, it can facilitate the transition to sleep.
Chickpeas:
Chickpeas, which may not come to anyone's mind, are a miraculous food for sleep! Thanks to its high content of vitamin B and tryptophan, chickpeas are as beneficial for sleep as milk.

Milk:
Milk is one of the first foods that come to mind among foods that induce sleep and is a rich source of tryptophan. Milk, given to children and babies before bedtime, is quite beneficial for the melatonin hormone. By choosing milk suitable for your digestive system, you can regulate your sleep quality.
Banana:
As mentioned above, tryptophan is a substance that helps sleep, and bananas contain a high amount of tryptophan. So, consuming bananas during the day increases the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Egg:
Eggs contain vitamin B12 and folic acid. Additionally, other vitamins and minerals in them, like in bananas, help in the production of the melatonin hormone. By including eggs in your meals, you can both eat healthily and help regulate your sleep schedule.