Sleep and Food

We all know that caffeine keeps us awake and consuming it too late in the day can make it difficult for us to sleep, but what other foods and drinks influence our sleep? Sleep and nutrition have a big impact on our health, but many people are unaware of how they may influence each other.

## **Understanding Nutrition**

Nutrition provides us with nutrients which are chemical compounds in food and other substances that allow us to grow, function, and stay healthy. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are all examples of different nutrients. Eaten in the right amount, we feel energy, are healthy, and reduce our risk for several illnesses and diseases. During pregnancy, your body requires greater amounts of certain nutrients.

- Calcium (1,000 milligrams): Helps you and your baby build strong bones and teeth. Milk, cheese, sardines, and green veg are great sources for this.

- Iron (27 milligrams): Is a mineral that helps you and your baby’s body grow and develop. Lean red meat (e.g., pork loin, beef sirloin steak), poultry, fish, prune juice and eggs are rich in iron.

- Iodine (220 micrograms): Is a mineral that helps growth and brain development. It is also critical in developing thyroid hormones which regulate your body’s metabolism. Iodized table salt, seafood, dairy products, and seaweed are full of iodine.

- Choline (450 milligrams): Supports your baby’s spine and brain development. Many pregnant women do not achieve the recommended intake (450mg/day) and take supplements to improve pregnancy outcomes [1]. Animal products like beef, eggs, fish, pork and chicken have high concentrations of choline, but nuts, and vegetables are also good sources.

- Vitamin A (770 micrograms): Is naturally present in several foods and helps with vision, our immune system, reproduction, and general functioning. Liver, fish, eggs, dairy products, leafy green vegetables, tomato products, and fruits all contain great concentrations of vitamin A.

- Vitamin C (85 milligrams): Plays a crucial role in supporting healthy immune systems, as well as strengthening our bones and muscles. Citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and white potatoes are the best sources of this vitamin.

- Vitamin D (600 international units): Helps you absorb calcium, which helps strengthen you and your baby’s bones. Besides going out in the sun when you can, oily fish, egg yolks, cod liver oil, and plant milk milk have high amounts of vitamin D.

- Vitamin B6 (1.9 milligrams): Is an essential nutrient for regulating your energy, sleep and mood. Taking vitamin B6 has also shown to reduce gestational nausea and vomiting [2]. Fish, beef liver, chickpeas, potatoes, dark leafy greens, fortified cereals, and bananas all have rich sources of vitamin B6.

- Vitamin B12 (2.6 micrograms): Also known as cobalamin, helps keep your blood and nerve cells healthy, as well as supports your baby’s neural tube, brain, and spinal development. Marmite (sorry for the haters!), salmon, fortified soy products, yoghurt, and eggs contain high traces of B12. Based B12 predominately being found in animal products, it is recommended that vegetarians and vegans take supplements to ensure they meet the recommended daily intake [3].

- Folic acid (600 micrograms): Is a form of vitamin B9 and is crucial for helping your body make healthy new red blood cells. Particularly during the early pregnancy, folic acid supports development of the neural tube. Legumes, beans, peanuts, beef liver, walnuts and whole grain foods are good sources of folic acid. Consuming the recommended intake of folic acid each day is challenging (a cup of raw spinach contains just 58 micrograms!), therefore many pregnant women take a prenatal vitamin with a minimum of 400 micrograms at least a month prior to and the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

## **Food affecting Sleep**

What we eat and when we eat influences how we sleep. A balanced diet is important to promote good health and sleep. Eating too little fibre and too much saturated fat can reduce the amount of restorative sleep we get. A diet with too much sugar can cause us to wake up more frequently during the night. Eating too close to bedtime can also negatively affect our sleep. Eating your last meal two to four hours before bedtime allows a big enough window to digest your food so you can get a good night’s rest.

Foods high in fat and protein take a long time to break down. When we are asleep, our digestion also slows down, which means that food takes even longer to get absorbed by the body. This can cause us to experience disrupted sleep.

Spicy foods can cause heartburn, which makes it even more challenging to get comfy before bed. Heartburn can make it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night [4]. It is recommended to avoid spicy foods within three hours before going to bed.

## **Sleep affecting Food**

Sleep is vital for your and your baby’s body to function. It has also shown to influence our nutrition habits and body weight. Poor sleep has been linked with an increased risk of obesity. Additionally, not getting enough sleep can make us eat more food more often, and not the healthy kinds [5].

Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that drive appetite regulation. Leptin is responsible for balancing our body’s food intake with energy use and is often referred to as the appetite suppressant. Ghrelin, on the other hand, signals your brain when you are hungry, hence is known as the appetite stimulant. Not getting enough sleep causes our ghrelin levels to increase, while simultaneously lowering our leptin levels [6]. Paired with sleep influencing decision-making, concentration, and mood, we may be more likely to give in to those high-caloric food cravings. Making sure you get enough quality sleep can improve dietary decision-making and commitment to a healthy nutritional plan.