How well do you sleep each night? Do you prioritise your sleep and night time routine to ensure you’re getting your 8 hours? Or are you someone who finds the midnight scrolling too difficult to give up? Perhaps stress, hormones and other factors such as anxiety are affecting your ability to sleep.

Good quality sleep is essential for your health and wellbeing. Your body goes through so many important processes when you sleep, so when you’re not getting enough, this can make you more prone to short term and even long term health concerns.

What happens when we sleep?

There are two phases of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep. The cycle starts over every 80 to 100 minutes and we typically have four to six cycles per night.

Non-REM sleep has three stages

Stage 1. The transition between wakefulness and sleep.

Stage 2. When you reach stage 2, you are asleep.

Stage 3. This stage is called deep sleep or slow-wave sleep, after a particular pattern that appears in measurements of brain activity. You usually spend more time in this stage early in the night.

REM sleep, This is the stage where dreaming occurs and your muscles normally become limp to prevent you from acting out your dreams. Typically, you’ll have more REM sleep later in the night.

Whys is sleep so important?

Hormones: Your hormones are constantly fluctuating throughout the day and certain hormones are reliant on you having regular, consistent sleep.

Hormones including cortisol which is needed for alertness throughout the day, melatonin (your sleep hormone) and your hunger hormone ghrelin as well as your satiety hormone leptin are also regulated by our circadian rhythm (sleep wake cycle).

Metabolism: Yep that’s right, as well as regulating your appetite, leptin and ghrelin also help to break down and process carbohydrates efficiently; if these hormones are dysregulated due to poor sleep, this can lead to poor glucose metabolism, which can drive weight gain, obesity and even type 2 diabetes. There is research to say that it’s not just too little sleep that can can contribute to poor metabolic health, but having too much sleep can also increase ghrelin and lower leptin levels so having the right amount is important.

Having too little sleep over a long period of time is a stressor for your body. When your body is in stress mode, cortisol levels aka the stress hormones will rise. High levels of cortisol can cause chaos with your blood sugar levels. When blood sugars are too low, they can lead to cravings for these quick releasing energy food which are mainly found in high carbohydrate foods. (Hello cakes, biscuits, bread and pasta!) Whilst they offer a short term fix, this will eventually lead to a huge glucose spike and before you know it your riding the blood sugar rollercoaster.

Mental Health: Studies show that sleep improves learning, creativity, concentration and problem-solving skills. Sleep deficiency however has be shown to change brain activity. It may contribute to poor decision making, solving problems, controlling emotions and behavior, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency has also been linked to depression and risk-taking behavior.

My Top Tips for supporting sleep

Daylight Exposure: Light, especially sunlight, is one of the key regulators of our sleep wake cycle, that can encourage wakefulness during the day and quality sleep at night.
Cut Down on Caffeine in the Afternoon and Evening: Caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you wired even when you want to rest, so try to avoid it after lunchtime. Coffee, black tea, green tea and soft drinks like coke all contain caffeine.
Keep Your Routine Consistent: Following the same steps each night, including things like putting on your pyjamas and brushing your teeth, can reinforce in your mind that its bedtime.
Test Methods of Relaxation: If you already struggle with sleep, having this thought in your mind that you wont sleep can turn into a self fulfilling prophecy. Instead of making falling asleep your goal, it’s often easier to focus on relaxation. Meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing, slow music can help you to focus on the present and calm the nervous system, supporting sleep.
Avoid Eating Late: Eating dinner late, especially if it’s a big, heavy, or spicy meal, can mean you’re still digesting when it’s time for bed. Ideally, finish eating at least 2 hours before bed.

How can diet help with sleep?

The drivers for poor sleep may be different for everyone. However, we know that a diet which is dominated by carbohydrates leads to sugar spikes and crashes.

These constant fluctuations in blood glucose levels, overtime can affect stress levels, mood and energy; the very things that can contribute to poor sleep! By prioritising fibre, protein and good quality fats as well as complex carbohydrates you will be supporting your blood sugar levels that can help with supporting sleep.

**Sources of Fibre:**
Wholewheat pasta
Vegetables
Nuts
Seeds
Oats
Fruits with skins on
Lentils

**Sources of Protein:**
Meat
Fish
Eggs
Edamame beans
Chickpeas
Lentils
Tofu
Quinoa

**Source of Healthy fat:**
Oily fish (Salmon, trout, anchovies, herring, mackerel)
Avocados
Nuts and Seeds
Olive oil
Eggs

Whilst there are many drivers for poor sleep, taking a holistic approach to address these drivers maybe necessary. Dietary and lifestyle changes can be a valid tool in your tool kit to supporting your hormones and addressing stress, inflammation and blood sugar imbalances which can aid a restful nights sleep.

For recipe inspo, head to my recipe page for some delicious blood sugar balancing meal ideas!