Are there any foods I might be lacking that could help with my sleep?
September 22, 2015 1:49 PM Subscribe
I am in my mid twenties, eat pretty healthily and exercise regularly, but I wonder if there's any food(s) that I don't include in my diet that could help with my sleep. (There's a bit to write on my diet, so I have written that on the extended page.)
Diet: So I eat pretty healthily. I have a vegetable smoothie (no fruit involved) for breakfast. My lunches usually consist of a portion of protein and a portion of vegetable (or just a portion of vegetable) and then my dinner is normally the same as lunch, but includes some pastry or bread (I can't eat wheat based products very often, so I usually only eat them with dinner sometimes).
Body: I'm in my mid twenties and exercise on a regular basis (3-4 times a week). I like my herbal remedies and (among other things) sometimes have magnesium baths to help restore magnesium levels in my body. I have also had anemia before, but that has all been cleared up now.
Doctors: I have been to the doctors about it before or more than one occasion and they can do nothing to help me on this one.
Diet: So I eat pretty healthily. I have a vegetable smoothie (no fruit involved) for breakfast. My lunches usually consist of a portion of protein and a portion of vegetable (or just a portion of vegetable) and then my dinner is normally the same as lunch, but includes some pastry or bread (I can't eat wheat based products very often, so I usually only eat them with dinner sometimes).
Body: I'm in my mid twenties and exercise on a regular basis (3-4 times a week). I like my herbal remedies and (among other things) sometimes have magnesium baths to help restore magnesium levels in my body. I have also had anemia before, but that has all been cleared up now.
Doctors: I have been to the doctors about it before or more than one occasion and they can do nothing to help me on this one.
I don't know what effect it'll have on your sleep specifically, but your diet sounds very limited. Is it balanced? Are you getting enough calcium, fats, and fiber? Those things are all important. I think insufficient calcium may in fact be a direct contributor to sleep issues.
posted by phunniemee at 2:01 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 2:01 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
There is some research that suggests warm/hot milk before bed will help you go to sleep.
posted by gregr at 2:01 PM on September 22, 2015
posted by gregr at 2:01 PM on September 22, 2015
Are you sure you're not hungry? Veg smoothie + sometimes only veg lunch + that dinner sounds kind of skimpy for an active 20 something, unless you're on a diet.
posted by kestrel251 at 2:46 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by kestrel251 at 2:46 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Just to clarify, "herbal remedies" isn't a euphemism for pot smoking, is it? Because that could definitely cause sleep weirdness in some people.
posted by aecorwin at 3:51 PM on September 22, 2015
posted by aecorwin at 3:51 PM on September 22, 2015
Would be helpful to know more about the sleep problems you experience.
You might try benadryl or melatonin. If you have problems with racing thoughts, try listening to something calming as you fall asleep.
posted by bunderful at 4:20 PM on September 22, 2015
You might try benadryl or melatonin. If you have problems with racing thoughts, try listening to something calming as you fall asleep.
posted by bunderful at 4:20 PM on September 22, 2015
I read your other question; you said you'd seen doctors for sleeping poorly. But you didn't say if you'd had a sleep study or not? They do them at home now, and they tell you how you sleep, and if you are strangling or choking overnight, etc. :) The results may surprise you.
With regard to your diet... are you sure you're not actually... starving? I can't tell from here, but I work out a good bit and I eat a lot of calories. Because we need them!
It sounds like you could be eating as few as 1500 or 2000 calories a day. If you were my height, weight and age, you would want to be eating food that provides at least 3500 calories a day just to maintain weight. But I don't know what you look like and feel like.
Many of us inappropriately use sugar to peak and then crash at night. It's not ideal, but it can be effective!
posted by RJ Reynolds at 5:00 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
With regard to your diet... are you sure you're not actually... starving? I can't tell from here, but I work out a good bit and I eat a lot of calories. Because we need them!
It sounds like you could be eating as few as 1500 or 2000 calories a day. If you were my height, weight and age, you would want to be eating food that provides at least 3500 calories a day just to maintain weight. But I don't know what you look like and feel like.
Many of us inappropriately use sugar to peak and then crash at night. It's not ideal, but it can be effective!
posted by RJ Reynolds at 5:00 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah... I'm healthy too, and I eat *way* more than you. Check in with a nutritionist or someone.
If it's still a problem, I'll nth the sleep study. My husband was referred to his by our dentist - he ended up with a mouthguard to prevent snoring/mild sleep apnea.
Fwiw, melatonin worked for my husband, and the warm milk (cocoa, malted milk) *totally* works on me. Red wine, too.
There have been a couple threads here recently on what "normal eating" looks like - check them out. You're really really not eating very much!
posted by jrobin276 at 5:25 PM on September 22, 2015
If it's still a problem, I'll nth the sleep study. My husband was referred to his by our dentist - he ended up with a mouthguard to prevent snoring/mild sleep apnea.
Fwiw, melatonin worked for my husband, and the warm milk (cocoa, malted milk) *totally* works on me. Red wine, too.
There have been a couple threads here recently on what "normal eating" looks like - check them out. You're really really not eating very much!
posted by jrobin276 at 5:25 PM on September 22, 2015
Also, pretty healthily is an understatement! Goodness. I think I eat pretty healthily and that still allows for veggie loaded pizza (mon), and latte and way too many banana M&M's (tues) in the midst of my granola, salads, and fresh fruit.
posted by jrobin276 at 5:31 PM on September 22, 2015
posted by jrobin276 at 5:31 PM on September 22, 2015
Taking a magnesium citrate and a zinc supplement fixed my husband's sleep problems, which may not be yours.
Could you describe what problems you're having with your sleep?
posted by bookdragoness at 5:45 PM on September 22, 2015
Could you describe what problems you're having with your sleep?
posted by bookdragoness at 5:45 PM on September 22, 2015
Someone once advised me to eat rice at dinner to help with sleep. Something about the high glycemic index helping make you sleepier and better controlling sleep-wake cycles so you stay asleep.
posted by three_red_balloons at 6:15 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by three_red_balloons at 6:15 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I can't sleep now if I haven't eaten enough. Mine is hyperthyroid, which is a result of medication for hypothyroid. I notice it because it feels kind of like my body is buzzing and when I eat a granola bar or whatever, I fall asleep in minutes.
You sure don't sound like you're eating enough. Up your protein at every meal. Please don't just eat vegetables for one or two or even three of your meals.
posted by guster4lovers at 10:01 PM on September 22, 2015
You sure don't sound like you're eating enough. Up your protein at every meal. Please don't just eat vegetables for one or two or even three of your meals.
posted by guster4lovers at 10:01 PM on September 22, 2015
My thought was your diet might be lacking in "healthy fats," I couldn't tell from your description.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 10:20 PM on September 22, 2015
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 10:20 PM on September 22, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks for all the input so far. The problem with my sleep is that however many hours I get (I've tried varying it over the years), I still always feel tried and fatigued throughout the day.
Diet-wise, I put coconut oil in my smoothies for breakfast (I forgot to mention that in my original part of the question). I'm not on a diet as such, but I have scaled down my intake of crap/junk food to lose weight over the last few months. I predominantly eat organic foods, and aim to eat at least 1-2 portions of protein a day.
Hah hah... 'herbal remedies' is not another way of me saying I smoke cannabis, but I do use other plants for medicinal purposes. For example, Goose grass is good for treating my eczema.
posted by sockpim at 9:09 AM on September 23, 2015
Diet-wise, I put coconut oil in my smoothies for breakfast (I forgot to mention that in my original part of the question). I'm not on a diet as such, but I have scaled down my intake of crap/junk food to lose weight over the last few months. I predominantly eat organic foods, and aim to eat at least 1-2 portions of protein a day.
Hah hah... 'herbal remedies' is not another way of me saying I smoke cannabis, but I do use other plants for medicinal purposes. For example, Goose grass is good for treating my eczema.
posted by sockpim at 9:09 AM on September 23, 2015
Thyroid issues? And how much sleep are you actually getting? I'm one of those unfortunate people who needs 9.5-10 hours to feel rested. If I try to only get 8, I'm a zombie after a few days.
posted by zug at 4:40 PM on September 23, 2015
posted by zug at 4:40 PM on September 23, 2015
Response by poster: A good suggestion, but I did get tested for that and it was all normal apparently. I usually need a least 8.5 hours to make it through the day. My ideal seems to be 8.75, but getting that amount is tricky as I sometimes fall asleep straight away and other times it takes half an hour. Any less than 8 and I'm also a zombie.
posted by sockpim at 1:07 AM on September 26, 2015
posted by sockpim at 1:07 AM on September 26, 2015
« Older Headphone jack dead after upgrade to Ubuntu 14.04 | What, if anything, can I get for my laptop? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:54 PM on September 22, 2015 [2 favorites]