If you consistently have trouble sleeping, whether it's going to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, or waking up feeling groggy/tired... here are a few tips that are definitely worth a try!
Limit Your Caffeine
This may seem like an obvious one, but many people don't understand exactly why this is so important. I would never tell you to rid your life of caffeine, but the timing is an especially important
factor to consider for your sleep health. Morning coffee? Totally fine! It's the afternoons and evenings that you really need to pay attention to. Caffeine takes on average about 8-10 hours to completely leave your system... long after its effects wear off. So even if you're someone who thinks "caffeine doesn't affect me, I could drink a cup of coffee and go to sleep", I promise it's affecting you more than you think.
To fully understand this, let's take a look at how caffeine works:
Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant that works in a few different ways. The most widely known way caffeine works to increase alertness and reduce our perception of fatigue is by its effect on adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that is meant to bind to receptors in our brain to produce a calming effect on the body. You may be familiar with ATP (adenosine triphosphate), our major energy carrying molecule that provides our body with energy as it releases phosphate groups. As we use energy throughout the day, whether it's physical or mental, adenosine begins to accumulate in our brain, which eventually should promote a feeling of relaxation and eventually, a desire to sleep, as it binds to its receptors.
Now, on a molecular level, the structure of caffeine looks sneakily similar to adenosine, meaning it can bind to adenosine receptors in the brain, blocking potential perception of feeling fatigued. By blocking adenosine receptors, caffeine also indirectly stimulates the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine. This would help to explain its ability to increase alertness and mood! If you want to see a visual, here is a great short video.
Try Not to Eat too Late at Night
Sleep is supposed to be a crucial time where the body focuses its energy on:
Hormone regulation
Storing information
Immune support
Getting rid of toxins
Cell reparation
When we have too much food in our stomachs when we lay down for bed, your body will have to shift its energy and blood flow to the digestive system. This takes away a lot of attention from the other tasks it is supposed to be doing. Lying down directly after eating may also have a negative effect on the downward movements of peristalsis, which is the involuntary muscle movement of our intestines to help push food along. Without proper peristalsis and a vertical angle for food to travel, it's likely that you may experience some digestive discomfort such as acid reflux (since stomach contents may come back up), nausea, bloating, or overall discomfort. Ideally you want to try and eat at least 2 hours before laying down for bed for optimal sleep, and try taking a short walk after dinner to help aid in digestion, I promise it helps!
Add More Magnesium into your Diet
Magnesium wears a lot of hats when it comes to its roles in our body, and having sufficient levels are absolutely crucial to high quality sleep! Here are a few reasons why:
Magnesium is involved in the production and release of melatonin, which we talked about above. It also plays a major role in helping our muscles relax by countering calcium (which contributes to muscle contraction), along with aiding in our stress response and keeping stress hormones at bay, like cortisol for example. No one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night from a cortisol spike.
Try adding in more foods such as leafy greens, nuts, seeds (especially pumpkin seeds), avocados, beans, lentils, whole grains and dark chocolate for additional magnesium. You can also try using topical magnesium, or taking supplemental magnesium. Here are a few of my favorite magnesium supplements for stress/sleep:
Organifi Magnesium (capsule form), Cymbiotika Magnesium (gel liposomal form), M Inch Magnesium (liquid form)
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