By Andy Kress

Rest and the quality of your sleep play a vital role in your all-around health. The impact sleep has in our daily life affects many areas and the people in it. Not only does the body internally react to too little or too much sleep, but the way you react with others in your environment is also impacted. When sleeping, the body’s physical and mental restorations take place, allowing you to feel refreshed and energized upon awakening.

The amount of sleep recommended for optimal performance is 7-9 hours a day. However, there are many different variables for how much sleep a person really needs. Age plays a huge factor in this total. Babies and young children require nearly twice as much sleep as the average adult. This is due to the amount of growth hormones produced. Childhood growth spurts take energy, which needs to be recharged through sleep. As we age, the nature of sleep changes, with less time spent in the deepest stage of sleep. This is when sleep disorders start to arise.
While much about sleep is still not fully understood, scientists know that the human circadian rhythms are established shortly

after birth and are maintained by two internal oscillators that act as your body’s natural clock. Some of the body’s natural chemicals help us stay asleep, it is our diet that plays the most essential role. Because hunger can tend to disrupt sleep, having a light snack before bed can help promote restful sleep. It’s a delicate balance, however. Having too much food tends to disrupt digestive health and creates discomfort, leading to insomnia.

Alcohol used in small amounts helps to initiate a more restful sleep. Be warned, however, that as alcohol is broken down and metabolized within the body, one’s sleep may become fragmented and less restful. Binge drinking does not incite a deep restful sleep as much as you may think. It actually creates the opposite effect, making the sleep less restful and fragmented during the deep sleep cycles.

Other beverages that you consume can disturb your sleep as well. Drinks high in caffeine normally have an adverse effect on your rest. Because the body builds up tolerance to caffeine, this is not true for everyone—particular heavy coffee drinkers.

Most people who consume caffeine before bed have trouble sleeping.

Tryptophan, on the other hand, is an essential amino acid that promotes dietary health and is a sleep inducer. It works by raising the levels of serotonin throughout the body, creating a natural sedative in the brain. This is one of the reasons foods or drinks with tryptophan are used as folklore remedies for restless sleep. A cup of warm milk or some hot caffeine-free tea with a spoonful of honey is guaranteed to help you get a few extra “zzz’s” the all-natural way. Because carbohydrates help facilitate the body’s ability to allow tryptophan to enter the brain, eating tryptophan-heavy turkey in a sandwich is a sleep-inducing combination. Likewise, herbs and spices are an organic alternative to help induce sleep. Valerian root is one of the most popular choices as a nighttime natural sedative. Most brew this in a un-caffeinated hot tea, along with other ingredients such as chamomile, lemon balm and peppermint.

Many of our poor diet choices before bedtime also affect our sleep. Eating foods high in fat and spice causes sleep disrupting heartburn and indigestion. Ditto: High fatty foods and sugary caffeinated beverages that have a deleterious effect on the hormones in your body as well. Disrupting these hormones can and will throw off your sleep cycle. Couple that with the unsightly weight gain and possible obesity that such a diet produces, and you have a lose-lose combination.
A healthy diet is the easiest way to ensure a good night’s sleep. Your body will thank you if you take the time to make healthy choices before you lay your head to rest.

Andy Kress is a nationally certified fitness trainer and nutritional counselor. he can be reached at 954-789-3930 or bia email at andyfitnesstraner@gmail.com