Most people know of the importance of a good night's sleep, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 25 percent of the population of the United States has occasional nights of insufficient sleep and about 10 percent suffer from chronic insomnia. Of the many factors that go into getting a good night's sleep, what you eat and drink during the day is one that has a significant impact on the quality of your sleep.
Carbohydrates and Proteins
Tryptophan is one of the 10 essential amino acids that make up the proteins in the foods that you eat. According to the National Sleep Foundation, tryptophan makes you feel sleepy. The reason is that your body converts tryptophan to serotonin, a brain neurotransmitter that induces sleep. The complex carbohydrates that you eat serve to increase the transport of typtophan into the brain thereby increasing serotonin levels in the brain. This is why having milk, which contains tryptophan, with cereal or cheese with crackers at night is a good way to help ensure better sleep. You should, however, avoid too much sugar and refined carbohydrates because these can very quickly elevate blood glucose.
Fatty Foods
Avoid eating excessively fatty foods -- some examples are spare ribs, fried chicken, butter and potato chips -- in the evening because the digestion of fat requires the release of bile from the gallbladder into the small intestine. This may cause heartburn later on when you are trying to get to sleep.
Herbs and Vegetables
Lettuce is a leafy, green vegetable that can help you sleep because it contains a substance called lectucarium which has sedative properties. So, if you include a salad with your evening meal, you may sleep better that night. Of all of the herbs purported to enhance the quality of sleep, valerian root extract is the one most likely to help you. Drinking valerian root tea at bedtime can decrease the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep and improve the overall quality of your sleep. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding, however, should not use valerian because safety has not been established in these instances.
Alcohol and Caffeine
The notion that alcohol can help you sleep better is misguided. Although alcohol may help you fall asleep, it prevents you from getting the regenerative sleep, called REM sleep, that you need to feel refreshed, according to the National Sleep Foundation. People vary in their ability to breakdown caffeine. In some, its stimulatory effects are shortlived, while in others caffeine persists in the bloodsteam for many hours. In general, it is a good idea to refrain from caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
