How Foods Affect Our Sleep

[Julieanne]

Anahad O'Connor
December 10 2020

A growing body of research suggests that the foods you eat can affect how well you sleep, and your sleep patterns can affect your dietary choices.

• This has not been a very good year for sleep.

With the coronavirus pandemic, school and work disruptions and a contentious election season contributing to countless sleepless nights, sleep experts have encouraged people to adopt a variety of measures to overcome their stress-related insomnia. Among their recommendations: engage in regular exercise, establish a nightly bedtime routine and cut back on screen time and social media.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/w...8b0e20e9725adc

[Islander]

That all makes sense, but sleep and how you get there are far more complicated than dietary choices. It's clear that they make a difference, but in my case I eat a healthy diet and still deal with persistent insomnia.

[Julieanne]

Me too. I must have read every article on insomnia ever written, looking for the secret, but nothing ever made any difference. Hopefully someone will benefit from this advice.

[Pattypans]

Julieanne and Islander, have you tried magnesium? It helps me sleep, and is known to have that effect. I read you should take it around dinnertime for it to be helpful at bedtime. It also helps muscle cramps and is good for a lot of other things. The type I can easily get is magnesium chloride, in a sort of crystallized powder form, which I mix with water.

[Julieanne]

Patty, I take magnesium all the time, 200 mg in the morning and another 200mg after dinner. Unfortunately it makes no difference at all! The one thing that helped was low THC cannabis, but I don't have any ATM. An antihistamine called Restavit also helps, but can make me sleepy next day. It is sold OTC as a sleep aid - just 1/4 of a tablet is very effective.

[grulla]

The author neglected to mention one of the simplest sleep enhancers of all, don't go to bed with food in your gut. Wait at least 3-4 hours for your stomach to digest and empty out any food before you turn in.

My intermittent fasting (IF) routine that I have practiced for the past ~7 years helps greatly with an empty stomach as my IF eting window is from 5AM to 12 noon, thus keeping my tummy well digested before I turn in early around 6-8PM. I'm not a night owl.

And no distinction(s) were made about healthy saturated fats from natural sources VS saturated fats from manufactured foods such as processed deli meats. The prior from lard, river salmon, tallow, avocados, grass fed butter, etc. are essential sat.-fats.

[Islander]

And there's another example of how diet can affect sleep. I too practice intermittent fasting. My window is from 12:30 to about 6 pm and I go to bed between nine and 10. But when I have trouble falling asleep, I find that a small snack of carbs will often work.

[Julieanne]

grulla, we are all different, and for me, going to bed with an empty stomach means I can't sleep. I must be a fast metaboliser, as about three hours after dinner my tummy will growl and I need a snack before I can sleep. A handful of nuts is all it takes, or a plain biscuit. I recently discovered chick pea cakes and lentil cakes, similar to rice cakes. A great snack with butter and Vegemite.

[grulla]

Perhaps you could reduce the 3-4 hour requirement down to 2-3 hours, or whatever???

I've heard so much about vegemite, aka marmite, that it makes me curious and I want to try some, but so far I haven't located any. Not even my co-op carries it, but they use to.

[Julieanne]

If you do get to try it, only use a light smear on generously buttered toast or bread. Americans make the mistake of spreading it like Nutella, which is not pleasant. Then it gets the rep of being awful. Treat Vegemite with respect! Marmite is a lot sweeter, and is not the same.

[grulla]

... Marmite is a lot sweeter, and is not the same.

Thanks for making that distinction, then vegemite it is.

[Islander]

I've had a jar of marmite in the cupboard for years. I think it has an infinite lifespan. Every so often, as you say, Julie, I put a little smear on a buttered cracker or two. I think it contains a nutrient that's especially good for us but I forget what that is… Iron?

[grulla]

If you do get to try it, only use a light smear on generously buttered toast or bread. Americans make the mistake of spreading it like Nutella, which is not pleasant. Then it gets the rep of being awful. Treat Vegemite with respect! Marmite is a lot sweeter, and is not the same.

Done, I FINALLY put in an online order today via Ebay, for a 4pak of 220G jars of Australian Kraft Vegemite, @ ~$34.00 USD, and NOT to be confused with the sugary British Marmite.

I have heard and read so much from you and others about yeast extract Vegemite that I FINALLY decided to purchase some, as it is touted as a great source of certain of Vit Bs, and is considered a survival ration in the Oz and other armies, among other reasons. I sure hope the yeast is well fermented as I have had issues with gout that I attribute to yeast in beer, and perhaps other sources??? And Vegemite is said to have a strong flavor with an acquired taste for some people, and should only be applied thinly and minimally on, say, buttered toast like you said.

Here are some informative links about Vegemite that might inspire you HHers, for a nutritious survival food that can be kept in the cupboard for a nutritious snack. I will further follow up on the Vegemite after it arrives USPS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegemite
https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/a...read-vegemite/
https://sputniknews.com/world/201706...-food-rations/

[Islander]

I'm gasping at your incomprehensible certitude, Grulla, ya bloody twit! A four-pack? A four-pack? When most people can't even tolerate licking the spoon? My one jar of Marmite, which I have had for 17 years and probably has an indefinite shelflife, is only 125 g. You have four jars coming, each of which is double that amount. I hope you plan to live a long long long time.

P.S. A well–intentioned suggestion: next time you decide to experiment with a product that is totally unpredictable, go to Amazon and buy one. Just one. A small one.

[grulla]

I'm gasping at your incomprehensible certitude, Grulla, ya bloody twit! A four-pack?

Islander, ya bloomin ol' baracuda, I'm gifting some! My step-niece in L.A. is a vegetarian.