Your Fibro Support
Like Us on Facebook!
  • Fibro Relief Blog
  • Products
  • Recipes
  • Home
  • Sign Up - Share Your Tips
  • Archives

High Protein Snacks Promote Sleep

3/12/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
About 90% of those that suffer from fibromyalgia have sleep problems. "The connection between what we eat and how we sleep is only just taking shape," says Antonio Culebras, MD, neurology professor at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Hunger plays a key role in disrupting sleep.  Most fibro suffers, due to an overactive central nervous system, don't even realize they may be hungry while they are tossing and turning all night. 

This relatively new research focuses on leptin and ghrelin, two metabolic hormones that scientists discovered only during the last decade. When we eat, leptin signals that the body is satisfied, while ghrelin stimulates hunger. Researchers speculate that if we have enough leptin to suppress the secretion of ghrelin, we'll sleep through the night without awakening to eat. "They act in see-saw fashion, counterbalancing each other," says Culebras. "If the balance is thrown out of order, it may result in subtle signs that awaken us."

To achieve this hormonal balance, people with sleep disorders
 may find eating a snack before bedtime helpful. But some rules apply. First, eat only a light snack, not a heavy meal. The digestive system slows down while you sleep, so eating too much can make you uncomfortable, cause GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease, when food or liquid travels backward from the stomach to the esophagus, causing heartburn), or even cause you to choke while asleep.

A good choice is to include protein which is more difficult to digest. This stays in your digestion system longer making you feel fuller throughout the night. Good choices include a small bowl of cereal and milk, says Culebras. Beware of foods containing 
caffeine, including less obvious choices such as certain sodas and chocolate. Even decaffeinated beverages contain a small amount of caffeine; so do some medications.

Here's a list of great foods to eat to promote a good night's sleep. If you have issues with wheat, do be sure to get grains that are gluten-free. 
  1. Whole Grain Graham Cracker Topped With Cottage Cheese And Sliced Kiwi This carb and protein duo lulls you to sleep. Cottage cheese is a surprisingly good source of protein, which helps create the sleep-promoting amino acid tryptophan. Crackers have carbohydrates that boost tryptophan's availability to the brain. 
  2. Ham And Cheese Roll Up A small slice of cheese and one slice of tryptophan-packed ham will only set you back around 100 calories, enough to stop late-night stomach rumbles, but not so much that it will pack on the pounds.
  3. Handful Of Walnuts Walnuts are rife with melatonin—and eating them has been proven to increase levels in your blood, according a study in Nutrition. That's just the thing you need to improve your sleep-wake cycle, so you can drift off with ease.
  4. Whole Grain Toast With Almond Butter One tablespoon of almond butter offers up a good dose of magnesium; deficiency of the mineral has been linked to insomnia and muscle cramps, which can disrupt sleep.
  5. A Cup Of Soup with Protein Easy on your digestive system, warm liquids are inherently calming.
  6. Banana Smoothie with Nut Butter A blend of banana, nut butter, and low-fat milk, this smoothie supplies vitamin D and calcium. These two nutrients have been associated with decreased odds of having problems falling and staying asleep.
  7. Cottage Cheese with Natural Peanut Butter Cottage cheese is ideal before bed because it includes lots of casein protein, which releases slowly into the body. This ensures a steady supply of amino acids through the night. Adding natural peanut butter to this snack increases digestion time, enhancing the snack's ability to control hunger.

Also remember the good ol' standby of your favorite cereal and milk can fight off hunger blues during the night. by offering you filling whole grains and milk protein.  Remember to also include some type of protein into your bedtime snack to stimulate promotion of sleep by keeping you fuller longer.  



Dog Is Good 15% OFF Coupon DIGAFF15
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC
    Improve your mental health in the most convenient and affordable way with an online therapy at Talkspace.com!
    MyUS.com
    Good Sam Travel Assist
    Gaia
    Panda Planner

    Author

    Valerie utilizes an extensive amount of research producing this blog.  Categories are purposely set up in stages, rather than topics, so you can easily implement one step at a time. 

    Archives

    September 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All
    Alternative Therapies
    A New Beginning
    Apps
    Avoiding Flare Ups
    Breathing
    Cleaning
    Cultured Foods
    Dealing With Aftershocks
    Depression
    Diet
    Exercise
    Finding Relief
    Good Reads
    Great Flicks
    Grief
    Grounding
    Health Care
    Holiday Madness
    Insurance
    Intermittent Fasting
    In The Beginning
    Maintenance
    Medical
    Medical Information
    Meditation
    Memory
    Mental Well Being
    Minimalism
    Natural Body Cleansers
    Natural Products
    Paleo
    Prayer
    Recipes
    Resources
    Season Pick
    Sleep
    Social Security Disability
    Soup
    Stress
    Supplements
    Tapping
    Twin Flame
    Videos
    Welcome

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.