Nutrition for insomnia: which foods to take and which to avoid

Curated by Cinzia Zedda, an Iridology Naturopath

Insomnia is a big problem for many people. Fighting it is an absolutely attainable goal. There are solutions to get out of the insomnia tunnel and they are all natural. What we are offering today, however, we find in the dish. It is at the table, in fact, that the best natural answers are found to find good restful sleep.

Milk among foods against insomnia

The causes of insomnia

Very few people are lucky enough not to suffer from insomnia, if we talk about chronic or periodic insomnia . But at least to each of us it happened to not sleep at least one night for some reason or episodically.

The fatigue that occurs the morning after a difficult night is debilitating. Insomnia leaves heavy aftermath and nervousness, especially in people who are more sensitive and not resistant to constitution stress. But why can you suffer from insomnia ?

We can establish with certainty that worries and problems are two of the many factors that can lead to a state of insomnia. At the base, however, we almost always find a family predisposition or an approach that was not well managed from the beginning, in the life of the newborn, in the delicate transition from maternal to bed. A moment that should instead represent a new conquest towards autonomy (bed, bedroom and private spaces).

Adults who carry childish and therefore unresolved night fears are many more than we can imagine. Silence of this aspect is almost always the shame of not being understood and therefore mocked.

The causes of insomnia can also be of iatrogenic origin, therefore subject to the use of drugs and supplements. Or there are diseases that cause night restlessness or disorders that prevent you from sleeping well. Sufferers of restless legs syndrome are prone to suffer from insomnia. People with a difficult digestion mainly due to nervous factors have disturbed sleep. But even those who do not breathe well, those who suffer from incontinence or those who are overweight can spend the nights with their eyes wide open to "count the sheep".

This condition is also typical of workers who work on multiple shifts and struggle to find the right pace. In all these cases one cannot speak of actual insomnia although there are real difficulties in finding restful sleep. Rather it is " induced insomnia ". The solution in these cases is to solve the problems that cause it and that are external to the real insomnia.

You can learn more about all the remedies against insomnia

What are biorhythms

Sleeping well is a necessity and not a quirk. By sleeping the body recovers its energies and gets back into regenerated motion.

The rest requirements change, however, according to age groups. Newborns spend the majority of their briefcases to sleep, reducing their time for rest to the need for growth. Adolescents and adults have different and therefore subjective but also constitutional energies and needs. The elderly instead physiologically sleep less hours but have a slower recovery.

However, circadian rhythms make us think about flawlessly the rhythms. It is to them that the body reacts like an obedient soldier. With the sunlight we "activate" and in the dark we should instead "withdraw" and rest as the most instinctive animals of us human beings do.

Things not to do and foods to avoid to sleep well

To overcome insomnia you can adopt few and simple rules. The first is to cut out spaces that are specific and satisfying and that are external to the work or family environment. Finding activities that gratify and help us to discharge the accumulated tensions are certainly more beneficial and healthy than sleeping pills.

Reading books or watching movies that in some way can excite the nervous system or that can awaken hidden fears is not recommended. Avoid eating sugar and nervine drinks (coffee, tea, cola). Eat at a time that allows digestion before you lie down. Eat a light and dissociated evening meal.

There are some supplements absolutely not recommended if you want to be welcomed in the arms of Morpheus. We speak above all of those used to lose weight, to stimulate the metabolism or to overcome physical and mental fatigue such as green tea, maté, guarana and ginseng.

If you take sleeping pills, you should know that they can have a paradoxical effect if you do not carefully follow all the methods of use. Eating a lot and heavy can create problems for the good continuation of your rest. But know that going to bed on an empty stomach can be even worse.

Also find out what are the methods to sleep well

Foods that promote sleep

Beyond the causes, where it is possible to act, there are foods that help to fight insomnia . Foods that contain tryptophan are the ones to be preferred. More technically, tryptophan is an essential amino acid. One of its features is to activate serotonin, better known as the mood hormone.

A food that contains serotonin is milk. But it is not the only one. In our next shopping, in addition to milk and dairy products such as yogurt and low- fat cheeses we also buy eggs and chocolate. We add seeds and nuts to shell.

Fruits but especially bananas help to sleep. We also do not skimp on the consumption of cereals such as rice, good legumes but also some types of fish .

It is possible to enhance the effect of these foods by helping with the preparation of herbal teas with relaxing and relaxing properties. The recommended herbs are: lemon balm, linden, passion flower, hawthorn, chamomile, orange blossom, verbena.

The essential lavender oil to be diffused in the environment is the perfect crown for a clear night.