Health Laboratory

Many moons ago I suffered a rather punishing bout of insomnia. Days melted into one, as my mind managed to escape my brain and occupy a hazy cloud above my head. Sound familiar?

We’ve had many a nutrition consultation focused on sleep problems. Most people experience difficulty nodding off at some point in their life… Some people find sleep a constant struggle. Everyone’s sleep patterns vary. Take Winston Churchill for example – he famously needed only 4 hours sleep and swore by his power nap in the afternoon. Other people would be a quivering mess if they missed their eighth hour.

But it’s important to note that a ‘normal’ cycle is when you feel tired in the evening and wake up refreshed, rather than coming alive at night-time and waking up at midday.

We produce our own natural sleeping pills called melatonin from amino acids in proteins called tryptophan which the brain uses to build sleep-inducing substances (relaxing neurotransmitters) which promote that desirable deep, restorative sleep.

The types of foods that we eat in the evening have a profound effect on the quality of our shut-eye. You want to focus on calming the mind rather than stimulating it.

Eating carbohydrate with tryptophan rich foods makes this calming amino acid more available for the brain to scoop up and feed our sleepiness. Carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin which herds up all of the amino acids competing with tryptophan, allowing more of the natural sedative to trickle into your brain. Eating a high protein meal without the carbohydrate may keep you awake since protein-rich foods often contain tyrosine, which alerts the brain – leading to that signature feeling of not being able to switch off.

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Before bedtime, eat foods rich in the natural sedative Tryptophan. Try chicken, fish or turkey with a small portion of fast-releasing carbohydrate (like potato,) and transport sleepiness to your brain at concorde speed.

Sesame seeds are high in tryptophan, making the delicious Halva a perfect after-dinner treat. Other foods high in tryptophan which should be combined with healthy carbohydrates to become natural sleep remedies include lentils, chickpeas, beans, eggs, sunflower seeds and miso. As always, nicotine, caffeine and soda is best avoided in the evening.

Now you won’t find me recommending dairy very often, but the old wife (whoever she was?) was on to something when she advised warm milk before bedtime. The juice of a cow contains high levels of Tryptophan and calcium. Mix some honey into your milk – the natural sugars will help to stimulate yawns faster!

Magnesium rich green leafy vegetables like kale, cabbage and broccoli help to soothe the mind and muscles. Try taking a bath with Epsom salts – they are rich in calcium and magnesium and literally seep into your pores, treating your muscles to a soothing massage.

The Food Fairies still find it difficult to switch off sometimes. Hey, we’re only human (well… sort of) and we love cherry juice which is naturally rich in melatonin and can help regulate your sleep cycle. It doesn’t act like a sleeping pill so don’t expect a quick sleep-fast fix, rather it helps to regulate your daily cycle – promoting an alert mind during daylight and zzzzz’s during moonlight.

Foods that interfere with sleep are the usual culprits. Caffeine artificially alerts us, so avoid stimulant containing foods pre-pillow time. This applies not only to coffee but all caffeine containing foods like black tea, chocolate and also many soft drinks, including diet soda. For all you chocoholics, an ounce of chocolate can contain between 10 and 60 mg of caffeine, and a soft drink will usually fall into a similar range. Brewed coffee can contain over 100mg per cup, depending on the grind and brewing time. Who knows why after dinner espresso became such a hit!?

Chilli, ginger and sugar are all stimulants, so best to avoid them after 4pm.

Aubergine, tomatoes, courgettes and bacon contain tyramine – a natural adrenalin shot, so best to minimize these foods if sleep is a problem.

Alcohol also disturbs rather than aids sleep. Swap your wine with a dreamy Camomile, and awake with a glow not a groan.

Look for herbal remedies with the following ingredients such as Passionflower (ooo!), valerian (aaah), skullcap (eek!)

OR start to think of insomnia in a different light, like this man once did:

“Sleep – those little slices of death, how I loathe them” ~ Edgar Allen Poe

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