from Covid together with the "health and economic emergency" also leads us to face a "psychological emergency. The quarantine to which we are subjected, for the containment of the contagion, has reduced our social life, we work in smart working, always closed at home, and has inevitably also changed the sleep-wake rhythms. Social isolation, the fear of contagion are highly stressful factors for most of us and insomnia is one of the probable consequences of this so far never lived period.
they can lower nervous reactivity and promote sleep induction. How can we use nutrition as a tool to fall asleep earlier and sleep better?
For further information: How to sleep well and melatonin. We have to fill up with it in the evening meal.
Dinner, which should be consumed by 8pm, must be balanced in macronutrients:
- Carbohydrates: able to influence the plasma concentration of tryptophan, precursor of serotonin and sleep inducing agent.
- Fats: especially Omega 3, essential fatty acids that favor the increase of free tryptophan and therefore its uptake acts on the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin.
- Protein: pay attention to how many and which ones, because a meal rich in this nutrient and with a certain amino acid content could affect sleep. Meat, for example, is rich in various amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, valine, methionine, phenylalanine) which compete with tryptophan and could hinder its absorption. So an alternative to dinner can be represented by fish and egg.
The evening meal should be light but not overly frugal to avoid hunger pangs at bedtime or during the night.
The cooking methods to be preferred are steamed, grilled, grilled, baked, baked, in foil, simple and without the addition of fat because the dinner is light and easy to digest.
During the evening meal we must also fill up with muscle relaxant minerals. Two essential micronutrients to ensure quality sleep are magnesium (contained in pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, fish, spinach and broad-leaf vegetables, artichokes, dates, brown rice, oats) and potassium of which excellent sources are: bananas , peaches, tomatoes, green beans, courgettes, salmon and chicken.
Calcium, selenium and manganese also play an important role in sleep regulatory mechanisms. Dinner must also be the time to stock up on B vitamins, because it is thanks to their action that tryptophan can effectively transform into serotonin, facilitating the regular sleep / wake rhythm.
which regulates the circadian rhythm, that is the sleep-wake cycle of the body. The body is able to produce it (in the early evening for most people) thanks to a small gland in the brain (pineal gland or epiphysis). melatonin has a maximum peak at night and very low values during the day. Or melatonin, we can get it by filling up with tryptophan, an amino acid which, once ingested, promotes the synthesis of the neurotransmitter of well-being and good mood: serotonin, precursor of melatonin In nature there are also foods of plant origin that are rich in melatonin and others that are able to stimulate its endogenous production because they are rich in tryptophan.such as bananas, grapes, rice, wheat, barley, oats (also rich in calcium and magnesium, mineral salts), extra virgin olive oil are rich in melatonin. These foods should be taken in the evening before going to bed to promote relaxation and normal sleep function.
containing tryptophan.
The following table shows the favorable food sources for the content of this amino acid, expressed as the ratio between the tryptophan content (g) and the protein content (g) on 100g of edible product.
- Beverages or foods containing nervine exciters: coffee, tea, cola-type beverages, ginseng drinks, energy drinks and chocolate which can suppress the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin.
- Alcohol and spirits: the initial sense of drowsiness is followed by a split sleep due to the workload to which the liver is subjected to metabolize alcohol.
- Sodium-rich foods: Canned, oiled, pickled, and smoked foods can hinder sleep because sodium has a hypertensive effect.
- Foods rich in monosodium glutamate: bouillon cubes, but also cured meats and canned meats and vegetables, ready-made and prepackaged foods because being exciting it can compromise the quality of sleep.
- Very acidic foods and spices: tomatoes, citrus fruits (eg oranges, lemons, grapefruits, mandarins, etc.), garlic, onion, mint which can cause gastroesophageal reflux.
- Foods rich in tyramine: aged or fermented cheeses (such as cheddar, gorgonzola, roquefort, brie, pecorino, gruyere), smoked food, wine, aubergines, sauerkraut, sausages and sausages, not very fresh or preserved fish (herring, tuna, caviar) because they have a hypertensive effect and can inhibit sleep; they stimulate the secretion of adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine.
- Foods with a diuretic effect: watermelon, melon, pineapple to avoid awakenings due to nocturia.
- Foods too rich in fats and proteins: slow digestion and inhibit brain uptake of tryptophan.
