Author Fan Zhihong
Editor health care jun
Sleep problem is a widely concerned health problem. Poor sleep will bring obvious problems such as facial dullness, dark circles, loose skin, irritability and physical fatigue. More and more research evidence shows that poor sleep quality may also increase the risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and even increase the risk of various cancers, including lymphoma, lung cancer, breast cancer and thyroid cancer.
There are many ways to relieve insomnia, such as exercise, aromatherapy, meditation, and even changing the color and layout of the bedroom. As a nutritionist, I want to remind you not to ignore another important aspect related to sleep-diet.
Improper diet can also lead to insomnia!
Insufficient intake of calcium and magnesium
Studies have shown that calcium deficiency may lead to insufficient or lack of deep sleep. Other studies have found that calcium can help the brain use tryptophan to produce melatonin, which is an important hormone related to sleep rhythm. Another study found that magnesium deficiency can lead to sleep disorders, while a high magnesium diet can make adult women with sleep disorders get deep sleep and wake up less frequently.
If you don't like milk, soy products, eat more meat, eat less vegetables and like heavy food, it is likely to lead to insufficient calcium and magnesium intake.
improvement measures
Be sure to eat more than 500 grams of vegetables every day (edible raw weight, excluding skins, roots and old leaves discarded during pretreatment), especially eat cooked green leafy vegetables for dinner and supplement magnesium and calcium.
Daily intake of 300 grams of dairy products (including milk and yogurt), or 200 grams of dairy products plus 150 grams of brine tofu. These foods are essential for supplementing sufficient calcium, and salted tofu is also a good source of magnesium.
Cooking with less oil and salt, fish is not too much. Too much oil will reduce the absorption rate of calcium, while too much salt and protein will promote the excretion of urinary calcium and aggravate the problem of calcium deficiency.
Insufficient intake of B vitamins
A variety of B vitamins are closely related to the function of nervous system. For example, when vitamin B 1 is deficient, it will make people depressed and slow-thinking, while staying up late or sleeping badly will increase the consumption of vitamin B 1. Vitamin B6 deficiency often leads to insomnia, anxiety and confusion. This is because vitamin B6 deficiency will make the metabolic pathway of amino acid synthesis neurotransmitter disorder, and the accumulation of intermediate products will cause brain dysfunction.
If you like sweets and sweet drinks, and the staple food is only white rice, such as white rice, rice porridge, rice noodles, etc. And rarely eat whole grains, such as whole wheat, brown rice and various miscellaneous beans, then vitamin B 1 is very likely to be lacking. Because the content of B vitamins in refined rice flour and candy is extremely low, and the content in whole grains is several times that of refined rice flour. In recent years, it has been found that eating whole grains and staple foods with low glycemic index is beneficial to improve sleep quality.
improvement measures
Replace at least half of rice, steamed bread and white bread with miscellaneous grains and beans to increase the intake of magnesium and B vitamins. In addition, non-fried steamed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes and other potato foods are also good sources of B vitamins.
Eat more tender beans and vegetables and fresh nuts and oilseeds, because they also contain more B vitamins, such as tender broad beans, tender peas and tender edamame, as well as pistachios, sunflower seeds and peanuts that are not over-baked and fried.
Don't eat sweets, including cakes, biscuits, cookies, sweet bread, etc. Don't drink sweet drinks. This kind of food contains high content of oil, refined sugar, refined starch, dextrin and other ingredients. These ingredients not only do not contain B vitamins, but will consume vitamins in the human body.
Skip the staple food and go on a diet with an empty stomach.
When losing weight, many people will choose to eat less or not to eat staple food. However, after not eating staple food, a large part of protein will be consumed as heat, and the raw materials for making various neurotransmitters are insufficient in amino acids, and the balance of neurotransmitters will be disordered, which will easily lead to insomnia.
Studies show that serotonin is closely related to insomnia. 5- hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter beneficial to peace of mind, which can be transformed from tryptophan in protein. Using diet to lose weight, protein's insufficient intake will lead to insomnia due to insufficient serotonin. If you don't eat the staple food, you won't get the "γ-aminobutyric acid" contained in cereal food. This is a neurotransmitter that inhibits the excitement of the nervous system. Like serotonin, it can help you sleep.
If you don't eat the staple food, the supply of B vitamins in the grain will suddenly be cut off. At the same time, when the staple food is insufficient, the gluconeogenesis is strengthened and the consumption of B vitamins is increased. At this time, there are many problems in nervous system function, such as depression, decreased thinking ability, insomnia, depression and so on. In addition, people who diet to lose weight often have insufficient intake of calcium and magnesium, which aggravates insomnia.
Even if I don't lack nutrition, it's hard for me to sleep well with my chest pressed against my back. ...
improvement measures
Losing weight can reduce staple food appropriately, but not too little. It is recommended that women with less physical activity eat at least three capsules a day during weight loss (1 capsule is about half a bowl of rice). If you exercise, you need to increase it to 4.5.
Drinking a small bowl of lotus seed and lily millet porridge in the evening, or eating two or three red dates for dinner, and adding a little carbohydrate food is good for sleep.
Caffeine intake
Coffee and strong tea contain more caffeine, which will obviously affect sleep for sensitive people. Caffeine is also found in chocolate, cola, cocoa powder and refreshing drinks. The most easily overlooked is sweet and greasy milk tea, which often contains a lot of caffeine.
improvement measures
People who are prone to insomnia had better avoid caffeinated food, at least don't drink coffee, cocoa and strong tea after lunch.
Don't drink coffee and refreshing drinks to refresh yourself when you are tired and sleepy during the day.
Dinner is too late or too greasy.
Eating dinner too late, eating too greasy, too exciting, or eating a lot of midnight snacks will affect sleep. When sleeping, the gastrointestinal tract should work overtime, and the metabolic rate of the human body will rise after eating, which is not conducive to physical rest and internal repair at night. Irritating food may also cause excessive excitement and hinder sleep.
In addition, eating greasy food at night leads to excessive bile secretion, loss of appetite the next morning, making do with eating breakfast or not, and the risk of gallstones.
improvement measures
Sleep for at least 3 hours for dinner, and the dishes should be less salt and oil. Of course, hunger can also make it difficult for you to sleep, so don't skip dinner easily, eat as much as possible, and make sure that you won't feel hungry before going to bed.
If you go to bed late at night, you may feel hungry. It is recommended to have a cup of soybean milk or milk between 9: 0010 in the evening. If it is not enough, you can add some fruit. These foods are full, easy to digest and won't interfere with sleep.
drink excessively
Although alcohol can relax the nerves, it will also reduce the quality of sleep, reduce the time of deep sleep and increase the number of waking up at night. Don't drink alcohol, even red wine, in the name of helping sleep.
improvement measures
Try to avoid drinking, and if you must, limit it to15g alcohol.
Other reminders about sleep.
Exercise for half an hour every day can effectively increase the time of deep sleep.
Don't do mental work after 9 pm, don't think about problems, and let your brain relax.
Don't argue with others before going to bed, and don't talk about topics that cause emotional excitement.
Don't watch your mobile phone for a long time before going to bed, and don't let strong light enter the pupil at close range, so as not to affect the synthesis of melatonin and avoid excessive nerve excitement.
Take a hot bath before going to bed, do a gentle massage, do abdominal breathing and relax in stages.
Add a shading layer to the curtains to avoid interference from outside light, or wear an eye mask. On the basis of adjusting diet, changing sleeping habits and environment, relaxing mood and reducing stress, most people can realize their beautiful wish of sleeping till dawn.
Fan Zhihong is a postdoctoral fellow at Beijing High-tech Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food Science, China Agricultural University, and the author of Popular Science on Food Nutrition. Director of China Nutrition Society, China Food Science and Technology Association, China Health Promotion and Education Association and Beijing Popular Science Writers Association. China Association for Science and Technology hired the chief science communication expert of cooking nutrition, Beijing Health Bureau hired the health popularization expert of Beijing, China Cuisine Association hired the public dietary health guidance expert, China Gerontology Society's senior nutrition and food professional committee expert, China Health Promotion and Education Association hired the national health literacy tour expert, and Xinhuanet hired the China Food Rumors Alliance special expert.
The main teaching and research directions are the influence of cooking on the nutritional and healthy value of food, the design and development of nutritious food and nutritious recipes, and the influence of health factors on food selection. Editor-in-chief and participated in compiling 1 1 textbook, published 84 scientific papers, published more than 20 popular science books and wrote more than 1000 popular science articles.
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