Nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with heartburn. Or, waking up in the morning feeling like you got no sleep whatsoever. It’s no secret that getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to our health and wellbeing.

 

Getting enough sleep helps regulate mood and emotions, Inadequate sleep increases anxiety and can compromise creativity.”

 

It’s clear why we all need to get a good night’s sleep, but what’s a little more difficult is how. One key component to getting better sleep falls down to what you can eat. The food choices you make before bed have a major impact on the quality of your sleep. To figure out which are the best foods to help you sleep, Read on to learn more about what to eat before bed.

 

There are some common themes to lack of sleep, like not waking up and going to sleep at the same time every day, too much screen time before bed and not dealing with mental and emotional stress.

 

One of the most common reasons people don’t get a good night’s sleep is that they lack healthy sleep hygiene. Too many of us try to stuff too much activity in our day, and don’t allow a transitional period of winding down before we go to sleep. Using electronic devices like phones and computers that emit blue light suppresses melatonin production and impairs the body’s natural circadian rhythm.  By shutting off screens at least one hour before bed and engaging in a calming activity like reading a book, we can support our bodies in restoring natural cycles.

 

Your last meal should end at least three hours before bedtime to give you time to digest your food. If you find that you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, you can eat a small bedtime snack that is 100 to 200 calories to help stabilize your blood sugar levels overnight.

 

Sleep is when the body does its “housekeeping.” Not only is the body resting but it’s also engaging in important immune function. So if you eat right before bed and your body is digesting food, it can impair the normal immune function that should be occurring every night.