As we all know getting sleep is important, AND as well all know the more life piles on us, usually the less sleep we get. Getting consistent sleep each night is crucial for weight management, hormone regulation, and for all you LiveFit bootcampers; recovery from exercise.
When your sleeping your muscles relax, your blood pressure lowers to relax your heart and the rest of your cardiovascular system.
People who have problems maintaining sleep patterns may experience lowered testosterone levels and could become slightly resistant to insulin.
Here are a few tips to encourage a restful nights sleep:
Eat foods high in tryptophan. It is a amino acid found in many plant and animal based proteins. Adding tryptophan to foods with carbohydrates signal insulin to tell your body to move amino acids into your muscles. This frees the tryptophan to cross into your brain to produce serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that creates a calming effect.
Limit Caffeine. Of course this seems obvious, stick to caffeinated drinks in the earlier half of the day. If your brave enough you could consider giving caffeine up all together.
Avoid large meals before bed. Eating a large meal close to your bedtime can often keep you awake. If your finding yourself hungry around this time, try adding an afternoon snack like an ounce of almonds and a small piece of fruit.
Try Chamomile Tea. Made from the dried leaves of the chamomile flower, it acts as a mild sedative. Try not to drink close to your bedtime to avoid frequent trips to the bathroom overnight.
Take Choline. It is a vitamin like factor produced by the body in small amounts. It is important for a variety of functions, such as sleep. Choline is found in such sources as milk, peanuts, walnuts, kale, oranges, tomatoes, wheat germ, oat bran, Brussels sprouts and eggs.
I hope these tips help you stay or get on track with your sleeping.
Remember how important that rest and recovery is to your success next time you plan on “burning the midnight oil”. Your mood, memory, hormones, recovery and fat burning will thank you for it!
Committed to your fitness success,
Derek Kuryliw, Certified Sports Nutritionist & Personal Trainer Slim Fit Diet & Fitness, CEO/Founder
for questions or comments [email protected] or 727.851.SLIM
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