How Can Your Diet Improve Sleep Quality? Top Foods Revealed!

The National Sleep Foundation advises that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep daily. However, according to the CDC, only one in three adults meets these guidelines.

As you know, people who don't get enough sleep are more likely to feel tired. When they are tired, they are more likely to eat more than necessary and make poor food choices, which can lead to obesity.

This means that sleep quality can impact eating habits. But do not take our word for it alone. Several studies also demonstrate this relationship between nutrition and sleep.

For instance, a study found that subjects who slept only four hours ate 300 more calories per day than those who had nine hours of rest.

Another study, which examined 495 women’s sleep patterns and daily food quantity and quality, also discovered the relationship between nutrition and sleep. The study found that poor-quality sleep correlated with greater food intake and lower diet quality.

So, how does poor sleep quality change your eating habits?

When we are sleep deprived, the hormones that affect appetite and fullness are disrupted (Ghrelin and Leptin). Thus, keeping healthy eating habits becomes a challenge.

Lean proteins include low-fat cheese, turkey, fish, and chicken. These foods are rich in tryptophan, which is likely to raise serotonin levels and improve sleep.

Tryptophan can also be found in soybeans, egg whites, and pumpkin seeds.

Conversely, avoid high-fat cheeses, chicken wings, and deep-fried fish. These foods take longer to digest and can keep you awake.

Consume whole-grain bread, pasta, cereals, crackers, and brown rice. Avoid simple sugars, like bread and pasta, and sugary treats like cookies, cakes, and pastries. These lower serotonin levels and do not encourage sleep.

Unsaturated fats will help your heart’s health and serotonin levels. Examples include peanut butter (check the label to ensure that peanuts are the only ingredient) and nuts, including walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios.

Avoid foods containing saturated and trans fats, such as French fries, potato chips, and other high-fat snacks. These foods lower your serotonin levels.

Like tryptophan, magnesium is also associated with improved sleep quality. When selecting your dinner vegetable, consider including a leafy green like spinach, rich in magnesium.

Other food choices that are rich in magnesium include nuts, seeds, avocados, and black beans.

Certain drinks can encourage or hamper sleep. Before bedtime, taking warm milk or herbal tea, such as chamomile or peppermint, can help promote sleep. On the other hand, do not take caffeinated drinks, especially if you have difficulty sleeping.

Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day, even on weekends, will help your body remain in sync with its natural circadian cycles, resulting in healthy sleep.

However, if you are experiencing insomnia, our flagship product, Luminette 3 Light Therapy Glasses, can help. This tool is excellent for resetting your circadian rhythms.

It ensures you get restorative sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to make the most of the high-energy foods you’ve incorporated into your diet.

Food high in sugar not only adds to chronic health concerns such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes but has also been related to sleep problems.

The blue light produced by your electronic devices and household lighting can imitate the effects of sunlight, leading your brain to believe you should be fully awake. If you can’t stop using your devices, blue-blocking lenses or applications like f.lux can assist.

Like light exposure, meal timing, and quantity significantly impact our sleep cycle. Late dinners and midnight nibbling can disrupt sleep while consuming heavy meals close to bedtime can cause indigestion and sleep disturbance.

Morning sunlight signals to the brain that it’s time to wake up. Exposure to light at the appropriate time of day helps keep your circadian rhythms in sync, allowing you to sleep better at night.

Caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep and impede sleep quality, so avoid caffeine-containing beverages and foods late in the day, such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate.

We recommend using Luminette glasses during the day to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Many users have reported experiencing deeper, more restful sleep after using Luminette glasses regularly.

Luminette 3 is easy to wear and incorporate into your routine.

On the other hand, if you are on the road and need to stay alert for the day’s work, our Drive light therapy lamp helps increase alertness during long night drives, offering a safe alternative to those relying solely on caffeine.

A 20-minute session with Drive can energise you for the day ahead, impacting the quality of your sleep at night.

While Luminette glasses and Drive can significantly improve your sleep and daytime alertness, a healthy diet remains essential. Prioritise a balanced diet rich in sleep-promoting nutrients alongside light therapy for the best possible results.

Many people don’t understand how food affects the mind or the body, and the fact is that many of us don’t get enough sleep. As we mentioned, only one in three adults meets the guidelines of the National Sleep Foundation, which states that adults need to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

While there’s a long list of potential sleep-stealing habits—from consuming caffeinated drinks too close to bedtime to consuming heavy foods that cause insomnia, we have established here from studies that there is a clear link between diet and the quality and quantity of sleep you get.

Consuming healthy foods that promote sleep and incorporating certain sleep-inducing habits into your lifestyle can improve sleep quality.

In addition to the steps mentioned in this piece to help you sleep better, incorporating innovative tools like the Luminette 3 light therapy glasses and Drive into your daily activities can help you experience a more enjoyable and restorative night sleep that energises you for the next day’s work life.

Ready to transform your sleep? Explore how Luminette therapy glasses can enhance your sleep quality naturally.