A good night’s sleep is the most important requirement in our lives. Ask anyone who hasn’t slept through the night for months, or years, and they would give anything to place their head on the pillow at night and wake up eight hours later.  Sleep allows our bodies to recover, to regroup and face the onslaught of each day. Without it our immune system depletes and all manner of health problems begin.

Apparently, the food you eat can dramatically impact on the quality of sleep that you get. The environment in your stomach can either make or break getting a good night’s sleep. Upwards of 95 per cent of your body’s serotonin is located in your gut.

Serotonin is commonly known to help to bring about feelings of happiness and well-being. Many antidepressant medications focus on the function of serotonin due to its incredible effect on mood and cognition. Another important fact to note is that serotonin is crucial for regulating the body’s internal clock.

Although most of the body’s serotonin is located in the gastrointestinal tract (Curr. Opin. Endocrinol. Diabetes Obes., 2009) serotonin production doesn’t just magically happen on its own. It is influenced by your diet and by your activity levels, and also by the amount of natural sunlight you get.

Once released, serotonin activates your system to increase intestinal motility. It literally helps the ebb and flow of your digestion overall. Serotonin is the building block of the ‘get good sleep’ hormone melatonin. Incredibly, serotonin and the health of your digestion can impact your brain and sleep, more powerfully than anything you can think of.

Scientists recently uncovered confirmation that the human gut is a mass of neural tissue, filled with 30 types of neurotransmitters. Due to the massive amount of ‘brain-like’ tissue found in the gut, it has rightfully earned the title of the ‘the second brain’. Technically known as the enteric nervous system, this second brain consists of around 100 million neurons, more than in the spinal cord or even the peripheral nervous system. The gut has also been found to contain at least 400 times more melatonin than the pineal gland in your brain.

Consequently, the health of your gut will always have a tremendous impact on the quality of your sleep (J. Physiol. Pharmacol., 2008). There have been numerous excellent studies analysing jet-lagged people, and those with poor sleep patterns.

Sleep deprivation has been proven to lead to poorer food choices as well as overeating, both of which serve to keep the unfriendly bacteria in control.  When it comes to getting the nutrients you require to keep your body and sleep healthy, the important thing to remember is food first, then supplement. Here is a list of the good-sleep nutrients. The list includes the foods you can find the nutrients in, as well as the supplement. Ideally, the food should be organic and minimally processed.

A good night’s sleep is the most important requirement in our lives

Selenium – A deficiency in selenium could play a role in sleep abnormalities. It is also crucial for the immune system and thyroid function. Food sources: Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, beef, oysters, chicken, cremini mushrooms.

Vitamin C – Data has revealed that people with low blood levels of vitamin C have more sleep issues and were more prone to waking up during the night. Food sources: green leafy vegetables, kiwi fruit, strawberries, bell peppers as well as superfoods such as amla berry, acerola cherry and camu camu berry.

Tryptophan – This critical nutrient is the precursor to your body’s serotonin production. Food sources: turkey, chicken, eggs, sweet potatoes, bananas, almonds, yoghurt and leafy greens.

Calcium – A couple of Japanese researchers published a study showing that disturbances in REM sleep were linked to calcium deficiency. Food sources: kale, collard greens, mustard greens, sardines, sea vegetables and sesame seeds.

Melatonin – Some foods actually have small amounts of melatonin in them and some foods have been found to help raise the body’s production of melatonin.  Food sources: tart cherries, walnuts, root ginger, asparagus, while foods that naturally boost the body’s melatonin are pineapples, tomatoes, bananas and oranges.

Vitamin B6 – This vitamin helps modulate your body’s stress response and relaxes your nervous system. Food sources: bananas, cashew nuts, peanut butter, almonds, avocados, fish, tomatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes and eggs.

Probiotics – As supplements, these are very popular. However, many fermented foods eaten by cultures known for their longevity also provide the beneficial flora that helps to support healthy digestion. Food sources: sauerkraut, pickles, miso, yoghurt and kefir.

Prebiotics – These are essentially compounds that aid the growth or activity of probiotics within your system. Food sources: Jerusalem artichokes, raw garlic, cooked onions, dandelion greens and asparagus.

Potassium – A study from the University of California found that potassium may be helpful for those who have trouble staying asleep. Food sources: while bananas are often put forward as the best source of potassium, there are other, better sources, such as leafy greens, potatoes, broccoli, avocados and cremini mushrooms.

kathrynmborg@yahoo.com

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.