Is This The Most Overlooked Health Habit?

Thought For The Week

During sleep, the body undergoes critical processes that help restore our energy, repair our tissues and boost our immune system. Sleep also helps us process information and consolidate memories, it helps us focus, think more clearly, and regulate our emotions. It also affects our appetite and the ability to lose or gain weight, because it affects the hormones that regulate blood glucose, fat mobilisation and storage, and feelings of hunger and satiety. Sleep is one of the most simple yet powerful tools we have at our disposal to improve our physical and mental health. So how can we optimise it?

Exercise Tip

Every bit of exercise you do will help you sleep better at night, but there are a few ways you can adjust your training schedule for optimal sleep. Exercising in the morning gives a particular boost to deep sleep, the phase of sleep which promotes the building and repair muscles and bones, and immune system function. If you’re chasing physical performance goals, research suggests that you train in accordance with your preferred wake time: Early riser? You’ll hit peak performance in the late morning. Prefer a late waking time? You’ll be at your best in the evening. If a fat-burning workout is what you’re after, consider low to medium intensity cardio before breakfast, as working out on an empty stomach can help you burn more fat. On the other hand, a late-in-the-day workout can help suppress your appetite and make it easier to avoid over-eating in the evening. But! Avoid working out too late. Exercising too close to bedtime can elevate your core temperature and leave you feeling energised, delaying your transition to sleep.

Nutrition Tip

Eating a healthy diet filled with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein can help set the body up for good sleep. More specifically though, complex carbohydrates – found in beans, whole grains, and many vegetables – help stave off blood sugar spikes and crashes that can interfere with sleep and may help the body absorb key vitamins (including vitamins B6, B12, C and D) and magnesium, which promote restorative sleep. Eating foods that contain melatonin—a hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle—like bananas, pineapples and kiwi, may also help the body regulate sleep. Foods that are high in tryptophan—an amino acid that the body uses to produce serotonin and melatonin—such as eggs, nuts, tofu, and poultry, can also help us get better rest.

Links & Resources

Quiz: Discover your chronotype and optimise your waking hours depending on when you’re most alert.

Resource: The Sleep Foundation offers all sorts of sleep advice and resources to set you on the path to good sleep.

Article: Tips and worksheets for a healthy night's rest.

Inspirational Quote

"It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it."

John Steinbeck