It’s common knowledge that your health is directly tied to your sleep. For an adult, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least seven or more hours of sleep each night. However, did you know that your food choices can greatly impact your sleep habits. A study recently published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics linked snacking habits to poor sleeping habits. This study comprised over 20,000 adults between the ages of 18-60. Those that weren’t getting enough sleep every night had more sugars, carbohydrates, and calories in what they snacked on at night: 

…beverages (sweetened beverages and alcohol) and snacks and sweets (savory snacks like chips and bakery items) were the top contributors to evening snacks, showing we are drinking our calories and consuming more products that contribute added sugars, but less overall nutrient content.

Here are some snacking options and diet changes that can help you sleep better and fuller every night!

  1. When shopping for snacks look for options like different varieties of nut butter, fruits, veggies, nuts, cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt. Dried chickpeas are an amazing alternative that most people haven’t tried, too.
  2. On the opposite side of the day, make sure you eat a nutritious breakfast. Try and get the majority of your daily protein requirements in at breakfast, too, for optimal digestion and nutrition. 
  3. Don’t only avoid caffeine at night but, also, limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol is a sedative that can cause you to enter a deep sleep quicker, but it interferes with your REM sleep cycle which decreases the overall quality of your sleep.
  4. Low fiber intake is linked to a less restorative night of sleep. Ensuring you’re receiving, not only fiber, enough nutrients is crucial for your body to stay in optimal shape. Many different nutrients can have a positive impact on your sleep, such as calcium, melatonin, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and potassium.

On top of a healthy diet, it’s a good idea to take dietary supplements to ensure you reach your body’s nutritional needs. A high-quality protein powder can be added to many different foods like pancakes, smoothies, and oatmeal. Some other helpful supplements are BodyK’s Vitamin D3 capsules to support your immune system and BodyK’s Multi-Vitamin Complex dietary supplement to support a variety of functions in your body.