If you find yourself tossing and turning night after night, the problem could be your diet. According to Katherine Albert, Ph.D., M.D., of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, nutritional deficiencies and digestive problems often contribute to insomnia. So before you go running to your doctor complaining about sleep troubles, Albert suggests taking a closer look at what you eat.
For example, even that much-touted glass of warm milk may not help you come bedtime. Although the calcium and L-tryptophan in milk are natural sedatives, dairy products and other fatty foods can be difficult to digest. So they may keep your body working overtime. Foods rich in L-tryptophan include spinach, peanuts, cashews, and all high-protein foods. And if you still crave a late-night glass of milk, make it skim to reduce the strain on your digestive system.
Fat-heavy dairy products aren't the only culprits behind food-induced insomnia. Albert, author of Get a Good Night's Sleep, offers the following suggestions for people looking to do what the title of her book promises:
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Eat less sugar. If possible, keep your sugar intake down—less than what's in a can of soda. Sudden increases in blood sugar may leave you feeling wired, while the blood-sugar drop that follows may wake you in the middle of the night. If it does, eat an easy-to-digest high-protein, low-fat snack, like yogurt or cottage cheese.
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Although water consumed before bedtime may result in a midnight dash to the bathroom, try drinking eight glasses throughout the day. Water helps flush toxins from the body, easing nocturnal demands on your liver and digestive system.
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Cut back on salt. Reducing sodium intake improves the slumber of many insomniacs.
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Eliminate caffeine. Many people enjoy deeper sleep after two weeks of abstinence.
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Eat foods rich in B vitamins. Fish, whole grains, peanuts, bananas, and sunflower seeds contain the vitamins that can help counteract the effects of stress, allowing you to rest easy
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