A good night’s sleep is a precious commodity. It is vital for good health – mental and physical. Poor sleep can lead to decreased mental function, weight gain, heart disease, and a host of other things. So what are you doing wrong? Why are you not sleeping well? Here are a few problems that might be a culprit.
LATE NIGHT EATING: Often people who eat late then go to bed experience acid reflux, aka heartburn. If this isn’t a problem for you, late eating still revs up the metabolism before bed. If you eat, the body is now busy trying to digest the food instead of allowing the body to relax and go to sleep. Try to eat the last meal several hours before bed.
TOO MANY FRENCH FRIES: Transfats in French Fries, doughnuts, cookies, etc. decrease the cell’s ability to transmit chemicals to the brain. The brain and cells need more omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish, walnuts and flaxseed. These good fats, instead, help chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and acetycholine get to the brain and help you sleep.
STRESS: This is a no brainer. When you are stressed, maybe you think about a lot of things when you lie down to sleep. Maybe you just can’t relax. But physiologically, stress will keep you awake. When the body is stressed, the brain releases adrenaline, cortisol and DHEA. Under normal conditions, cortisol is highest in the morning and lowest at night. When the body is stressed, the levels reverse and the body is revved up at night making it difficult to sleep. Get stress under control then the sleep will come.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: Medications either stimulate or inhibit the brain. Some OTC painkillers have caffeine in them, so check the label. Common prescriptions, such as beta-blockers can interfere with sleep. Surprisingly, the worst medications for sleep are anti-depressants. Many of these - Paxil, Lexapro, and Prozac – release a constant dose of serotonin, which results in disturbed sleep.
OVEREXERCISING OR NIGHT EXERCISING: While exercising can help you sleep better, doing too much or at the wrong time of the day can be detrimental. When you consistently over-train, your body reacts to it as more stress so the same sleep-depriving hormones kick in and keep you awake. The adrenaline rush and metabolism boost of exercising may not be desirable later in the evening either.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION: Persistent, low-grade inflammation throughout the body- caused by processed food, stress, toxic chemicals, and other things – has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and rheumatoid arthritis. It also will keep you up at night because it can lead to an increased body temperature. Chronic inflammation can cause aches and pains that keep you restless. Lower inflammation and improve your sleep.
If any of these sound like they might be your problem, there is something you can do. Many of them involve a few lifestyle changes that could make a big difference in how you sleep. Remember, sleep is vital to good health, so trying to get more of it could help you look and feel better during the day. At the Canton Fitness Center, we care about your health and well-being.