Mindful & Metabolic: Bedtime Snacks
By: Jessica Starnes, Holistic Health Educator
Sleep is a pillar of overall health. But what happens when you can't fall asleep, wake frequently through the night, and/or too early in the morning?
The best thing we can do for our sleep at night is think about how we live throughout the day and adjust accordingly. I know - not a quick fix.
Blood sugar regulation is key! When we ride the blood sugar roller coaster throughout the day it puts immense stress on our bodily systems. (Helloooooo, elevated cortisol and adrenaline!) Eating at regular intervals, not skipping meals, combining macros (carb, protein, fat) in appropriate portions, and eating ENOUGH food will help stabilize blood sugar all day long and greatly reduce stress on our system.
Efficient sunlight (especially morning) exposure to eyes and skin, incorporating gentle movement, and moments of stillness throughout our days can also have a very positive impact on our sleep at night.
Sleep hygiene tips like reducing blue light/screens after sun-down, calming herbal teas before bed, blackout curtains, having a routine, cool temperature, limiting late day caffeine, etc are very helpful but all the sleep hacks in the world can't touch the problem if we don't get to the root cause. We must support our body with the appropriate fuel and stress management throughout our days if we want to see lasting improvement in our sleep.
Our bodies crave consistency. Eating at regular intervals throughout the day translates safety and abundance to our nervous system which will reduce stress hormones and help balance thyroid and sex hormones that can be thrown out of whack from under-nourishing, skipping meals, and flying by the seat of our pants day in and day out.
Making sure we are consuming enough of all 3 macronutrients allows us to get the nutrients we need that support sleep like glucose, protein, vitamin rich healthy fats, minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. None of our bodily systems function on thin air and that includes the work done during sleep.
Incorporate a bedtime snack! After making sure you're fueling appropriately through the day consistently, adding in a bedtime snack can really help support sleep. Our livers need plenty of stored glycogen (sugar!) to get us through the night without food. If we have a hard time falling asleep or wake frequently, it can be elevated stress hormones, blood sugar dysregulation, and/or liver congestion. Providing the liver with some carbs, fat, and light protein before bed can really help!
They types of snacks I'm about to share may be shocking to you coming from a nutritionist because the sugar vilification and "clean eating" messaging is pretty rampant among the wellness industry. I've been there and am no longer about that type of messaging as it misses the foundation of metabolic and cellular health.
Some of my favorites snacks:
-Quality ice cream! Yes, I said ice cream. Bonus points if you make your own and add extra protein. Häagan Dazs vanilla has decent ingredients or if you can get your hands on Straus, their ingredients are even better.
-Hot cocoa with whole (raw, grass-fed, organic) milk, honey, collagen, and a pinch of sea salt (omit cocoa if you can't do the caffeine)
-Bone broth + fruit
-Cottage cheese/Greek yogurt + fruit with chamomile tea
-Cheese and quality orange juice + sea salt
Why these foods? Simple, easy to digest sugars and proteins provide nutrients conducive to sleep. Minerals like I mentioned above with amino acids like glycine from the collagen/broth are calming and nourishing to the nervous system, adrenal glands, and thyroid. We want to support cellular energy because, believe it or not, we need proper energy in order to sleep.
Sweet dreams!
