Optimize Your Sleep with Diet and Natural Supplements

Sleeping well is one of the most important things you can do for your physical, emotional, and mental health, but so many people are getting inadequate sleep these days. If you are among the millions of Americans who are not getting enough quality sleep, take heart. You can tweak a few daily habits and also consider asking your doctor about natural nutritional supplements to help you get more restful nights and more energetic days.

The Need for Better Sleep

Sleep is not a luxury. It is an essential part of your well-being. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, sleep deprivation is linked to physical, emotional, and cognitive impairment. These are some examples of the effects of sleep deprivation ⁽¹⁾ :

• Obesity
• Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke
• Depression and mood disorders
• “Drowsy driving” and an estimated 100,000 vehicle accidents annually
• Impaired memory and learning
• Lack of focus
• Possibility of higher risk for immune system disorders such as multiple sclerosis and meningitis ⁽²⁾
• Higher risk for Alzheimer’s Disease⁽³⁾.

In his recent book, Your Mitochondria: Key to Health and Longevity, Warren Cargal discusses how these last two points may be related to natural drainage in your body, which occurs via lymph throughout most of your body and via the glymphatic system in your brain. In fact, “researchers recently discovered a series of channels that surround blood vessels within the brains of mice. This system, managed by the brain’s glial cells, has been termed the glymphatic system. The glymphatic system moves cerebrospinal fluid (a clear liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord) quickly and deeply throughout the brain, removing waste during sleep.

This waste includes excreted beta amyloid proteins, which are linked to Alzheimer’s Disease). Disruption of this route may be involved in neurological disorders associated with immune system dysfunction such as multiple sclerosis, meningitis, and Alzheimer’s Disease. To test the effects that sleep has on the glymphatic clearance of cellular waste, scientists observed the difference between the glymphatic system’s activity during waking hours and during sleep. Using a mouse model, researchers demonstrated that sleep helps restore the brain by flushing out toxins that build up during waking hours. They reported that the glymphatic system can help remove beta-amyloid from brain tissue, suggesting a potential new role for sleep in health and disease.” ⁽⁴⁾

Despite scientific evidence supporting more sleep, Americans on the whole need more. The CDC reports that the average adult needs 7 to 8 hours nightly, but over one-third of adults skimp on the average weeknight⁽⁵⁾.  You, yourself, may know, or suspect that you need, more sleep. You may feel groggy upon waking or unable to function without a midday jolt of caffeine. Another tell-tale sign that you need sleep is if, on weekends or other days when you do not use an alarm clock, you sleep for hours past your regular weekday waking time with the alarm clock.

Eating Right for Better Sleep

What you eat during the day and evening can affect your sleep from how long it takes you to fall asleep, to how deeply you sleep during the night. As it turns out, there are some foods that may help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, or improve the quality of your sleep while you are sleeping. In addition, an overall dietary pattern that follows guidelines for general health is the diet that also tends to be best for sleep.

Dietary Tryptophan and Melatonin

When you think about eating right for better sleep, you might think about your dinner foods first since there are some foods that may enhance sleep or provide nutrients involved in your body’s sleep processes. These include foods with melatonin and tryptophan.

Melatonin is a hormone that helps you sleep. Your body naturally produces more of it at night when it is dark, and higher levels can help you overcome sleep disorders such as jet lag and insomnia, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. ⁽⁶⁾ Certain foods contain melatonin ⁽⁷⁾ and eating them at dinner could boost your levels:

• Cherries including tart cherry juice concentrate
• Walnuts and peanuts
• Asparagus
• Barley and oats
• Corn
• Tomatoes
• Banana, pomegranate, and strawberries.

Tryptophan is an amino acid that your body uses to produce niacin (vitamin B3), which is used to produce serotonin and induce sleep. It is in a variety of foods, including:

• milk, which is not surprising given milk’s reputation for being a good bedtime snack
• chicken and other poultry
• eggs
• nuts. ⁽¹⁾

Dinner Time Tips

Along with being aware of foods for inducing sleep, you should be aware that there are other foods that you might want to have earlier in the day or forego completely because they may interfere with sleep. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Caffeine, such as from coffee, tea, and cocoa. Caffeine is a stimulant and should be avoided for at least 6 hours before bedtime.
• High-fat foods such as fried foods and fatty meats. Fat stimulates digestion and may make you need the bathroom at night.
• Sugary foods and beverages including candy, desserts, sodas, and sports drinks. Sugar is high-glycemic, which means that it drives up your blood sugar levels and then lets them crash. While eating a high-glycemic meal four hours before bedtime can help you sleep better, it can also reduce the quality of your sleep.
• Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, and liquor. ⁽⁹⁾ They can make you feel drowsy, but can reduce the amount of time you spend in restorative sleep cycles.

Avoid Stomach Upset

Eating too much at your evening meal can leave you wide-eyed at night. This is partly because of the discomfort you feel when you eat too much; it is hard to sleep with an upset stomach! It is also because of possible disruptions to your cortisol system, which regulates stress and affects your energy and alertness.

Heartburn can also interfere with sleep, as you would know if you have ever spent a night with burning chest pain. Avoiding your triggers, if you can pinpoint them, can help you get a better night’s rest. The Mayo Clinic says that the following foods are common triggers for heartburn ⁽¹⁰⁾:

• Onions
• Chocolate
• Alcoholic beverages
• Caffeinated foods and beverages
• Peppermint
• Lemons and other citrus fruits and juices
• Tomatoes and tomato products, such as ketchup and pasta sauce
• Spicy foods, such as salsa and curry
• Carbonated beverages, such as soft drinks and soda water
• Fried foods, such as French fries, doughnuts, and fried chicken.

A Balanced Diet

According to a review article in “Advances in Nutrition,” a handful of studies have looked at links between people’s diets and their sleep quality. ⁽¹¹⁾ On the whole, people with moderate carbohydrate intakes tend to have better sleep than people with low-carbohydrate intakes, which are linked to higher risk for sleep disorders such as apnea and insomnia, according to research published in “Journal of Occupational Health.” ⁽¹²⁾

The quality of the carbohydrates is also important. Higher carbohydrate consumption, for example, is linked to poorer sleep quality when main carbohydrate sources include lower-nutrient foods such as sweets and refined noodles. On the other hand, people who eat the quantity of carbohydrates, but a higher proportion of fish and vegetables, have better sleep quality.

Other research hints at effects of protein and fat consumption and overall diet patterns and sleep quality. It appears that a low-protein diet leads to trouble falling asleep, while a high-protein leads to trouble staying asleep. A moderate amount of protein, providing between 16 and 19% of total calories, appears to be best ⁽¹³⁾ . This amount is equivalent to 80 to 95 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet, which is consistent with the current intake of the average American, according to the US Department of Agriculture ⁽¹⁴⁾.

For a more general guideline, you can consider following a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, which includes plenty of fresh vegetables, whole grains, lean poultry and fish, and healthy fats, while limiting sweets. You may know this pattern for its heart-healthy benefits, but it also appears to be linked to healthier sleep patterns.

Weight Matters

Lack of sleep may lead to weight gain from excessive hunger, overeating, and blood sugar imbalances, but the reverse also occurs; being overweight or obese can interfere with sleep quality⁽¹⁵⁾ . Obesity is also a risk factor for sleep apnea. ⁽¹⁶⁾ Maintaining a healthy weight or losing a few pounds of excess weight may lower your risk for sleep disturbances and improve sleep quality. A general meal plan for long-term weight management may include:

• Fresh vegetables and lean proteins at most meals.
• Daily servings of low-fat dairy products and healthy fats, such as avocado, nuts, and olive oil.
• Nutritious, high-fiber carbohydrate sources such as winter squash and other starchy vegetables, fresh fruit, beans, and whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread and pasta, oatmeal, and brown rice.
• Limited sweets and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, fried foods, and refined carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta.

Physical Activity

Exercise helps you control your weight, lower risk for diabetes, stroke and heart disease, improve brain health, and sleep better⁽¹⁷⁾. 

• If you are not already a regular exerciser, these tips can help you get into the habit.
• Find an activity you love to do. Some people like to walk by themselves, others like the camaraderie and direction of group fitness classes, and others like to do a variety of activities to prevent boredom.
• Schedule your daily exercise in your planner to make sure you save time for it.
• Start short and slow, and only build up gradually as you feel ready.
• Consider exercising outside if that is the only change you have each day to be outside. The natural daylight can improve your sleep-wake cycles so falling asleep is easier at night.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health suggest that you finish exercising at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. ⁽¹⁸⁾ Physical activity raises your heart rate and body temperature, which wakes you up. Within hours of stopping, however, your body temperature drops, which signals your body to feel tired.

Your Sleep Hygiene

“Sleep hygiene” does not have much to do with your personal cleanliness. The term instead refers to how well you promote your sleep. You can improve sleep hygiene with a good sleep environment and a regular bedtime routine.

A Better Sleep Environment

You can rearrange your sleep environment to facilitate better sleep and help you make the most of the hours you dedicate to sleep. The US Department of Health and Human Services suggests that you: ⁽¹⁹⁾

• Keep the temperature in your bedroom cooler rather than warmer.
• Sleep in a quiet, darkroom.  Try to remove sources of loud noises or lights.
• Remove distractions such as televisions, smartphones, and other electronics.
• Make sure your mattress and pillows comfortable.

Set a Sleep Schedule

Go to bed at the same time each night, even on weekends.   Instead of going to bed at the same time each night, many people regularly cut themselves short on weeknights and catch up on the weekend. The trouble with this schedule is that you can feel tired during the week. Furthermore, when you go to bed late and sleep in on weekends, you can have trouble falling asleep on Sunday night, which means you will start the work week with a deficit.

So leave yourself sufficient time to sleep each night. If you are hesitant to dedicate that much time for sleeping, remind yourself that being rested can make you more productive in the long run because you will be more efficient. Following a consistent schedule for bedtime and waking helps you fall asleep faster each night because your body becomes trained to do so.

Act Like a Child – Have a Routine

Do you remember when you were a child and you had a bedtime routine? Or, maybe you are a parent and you have a regular routine for your own children now. You may be holding your child to a bedtime routine for your own convenience to prevent bedtime struggles, but there is another benefit: your child falls asleep more easily.
Your own bedtime routine can help you fall asleep more easily, too, according to Mayo Clinic. ⁽²⁰⁾It might not include a lullaby and monster check like a child’s routine might, but it can include elements such as drinking water or chamomile tea, stretching, meditating, or reading. With daily consistency, you can train your mind and body to get ready to sleep when you go through your routine.

Supplements for Sleep Optimization

Along with being careful with your nutrition, including regular exercise in your daily life, and paying attention to your sleep hygiene, you can consider nutritional supplements to aid with sleep. Some people prefer natural supplements oversleep medications or drugs because they can be less habit-forming or have fewer serious side effects. Pharmacological agents, or drugs, can also lead to day time grogginess. Still, not all-natural supplements are right for every individual, so check with your healthcare professional to get her approval before taking any nutritional or dietary supplements.

Melatonin

Melatonin may be among the most well-known sleep aids, and for good reason. Taking extra amounts of this naturally-produced sleep hormone can be effective in combating certain sleep disorders, according to a meta-analysis published in “PLoS One.” ⁽²¹⁾ On average, among the studies reviewed in this article, the onset of sleep, or sleep latency, was reduced by 10 minutes among individuals who took melatonin. Sleep duration increased by several minutes, and objective and subjective sleep quality improved.

Melatonin has the advantage of being relatively safe for the general healthy adult population when used for months at a time. Minor side effects such as headache and nausea have been reported but were no more common than those reported by a placebo group in one research study. ⁽²²⁾  In addition, melatonin is not known to lead to dependence.

5-Hydroxytryptophan

5-hydroxytryptophan, also known as 5-HTP, is a metabolic derivative of the amino acid tryptophan and is later turned into serotonin. ⁽²³⁾ It is used for depression, anxiety, and insomnia, and appears to be fairly safe. It could help improve sleep.

Valerian

Valerian is an ancient herb that was used in ancient Greek and Roman times, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. ⁽²⁴⁾ Also known as all-heal or garden heliotrope, valerian is native to Europe and Asia. It has been used for anxiety, depression, and nervousness in addition to insomnia.

You can take valerian as a pill or liquid extract or in tea. It is not as well studied as some supplement, such as melatonin, but it appears to have potential to induce drowsiness. Valerian can cause headaches or dizziness in some people, but there appears to be only a low risk for serious side effects when used for a few weeks.

Chamomile

The old story about drinking chamomile tea before bed may be more than an old wives’ tale. German chamomile may reduce anxiety and increase relaxation and sleepiness. You can take it I tea, or as an extract in capsules. It is also available as a topical ointment.

In one study among adults over 60 years old, one group of study participants took chamomile extract supplements, while a control group took a placebo for 28 days. ⁽²⁵⁾ The chamomile group ended up with higher sleep quality scores, and there were no serious safety concerns.

Omega-3

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may best be known for their heart-healthy effects and their anti-inflammatory benefits, but they may also help regulate healthy sleep cycles. Omega-3 fats are essential in brain development, and they are required for part of the process of producing melatonin from serotonin in your body, according to an article published in the “Journal of Sleep Research. ⁽²⁶⁾

You can get long-chain omega-3 fats from fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, but few Americans meet recommendations to consume at least 8 ounces of low-mercury seafood species each week. Supplements are another option for hitting your goals, and the evidence shows being well-stocked in omega-3 fats can help you sleep better. One study found that supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, helped children wake fewer times and sleep longer each night. ⁽²⁷⁾  Omega-3 supplements are generally safe and easy to tolerate.

Safety Precautions with Nutritional Supplements

As always before taking any dietary supplements, be sure to let your doctor know about any medications you may be taking, and ask for his approval before you begin taking a new kind of supplement. Even natural supplements can have side effects and lead to long-term complications. They can also potentially interfere with medications that you are taking. In particular, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and who are breastfeeding, should be extra cautious about taking supplements. Individuals with liver or other diseases should also be cautious.

When you are ready to take charge of your health and improve energy and focus, be sure not to overlook your sleep. You can choose healthy foods and get active to support better sleep, but you may need extra help. A variety of natural nutritional supplements are available and shown to be promising for helping you get to sleep or stay asleep, so talk to your doctor about whether they may be right for you.

Why can’t I find my favorite sleep supplements?

You may have noticed that your favorite sleep supplements are no longer available to purchase. That is because some sleep supplements contain an ingredient called, phenibut or 4-amino-3-phenylbutyric acid HCl. The FDA has made a decision that phenibut or 4-amino-3-phenylbutyric acid HCl in synthetic forms is now being reclassified because it does not meet the definition of a dietary ingredient and cannot be used in dietary supplements.

Some of the popular products that contain phenibut include Kavinace and Kavinace Ultra PM by NeuroScience Inc, Phenitropic, Phenitropic PM and Phenitropic Ultra PM by Biotics Research, and Gabacore by Apex Energetics. These manufacturers intend on reformulating these products and that should take two to four months.

In the meantime, we recommend the following sleep support supplements as alternatives:

Seriphos
Sedalin
Nardova
Zizyphus 18
Melatonin

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to call our clinic to speak to one of our practitioners regarding this.

References

1 Perry GS, Patil SP, Presley-Cantrell LR. Raising Awareness of Sleep as a Healthy Behavior. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:130081. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.130081.

2 Cargal L. Ac., Warren. Your Mitochondria: Key to Health and Longevity (Kindle Locations 1351-1361). Big Boost Media. Kindle Edition.

3 Cargal L. Ac., Warren. Your Mitochondria: Key to Health and Longevity (Kindle Locations 1351-1361). Big Boost Media. Kindle Edition.

4 Cargal L. Ac., Warren. Your Mitochondria: Key to Health and Longevity (Kindle Locations 1351-1361). Big Boost Media. Kindle Edition.

5 Perry GS, Patil SP, Presley-Cantrell LR. Raising Awareness of Sleep as a Healthy Behavior. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:130081.

6 Melatonin: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin.

7 Immune Health Science. Foods with Melatonin.

8 Zamosky L. The Truth About Tryptophan. 2009. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-tryptophan#1

9 Sleep hygiene tips. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html.

10 Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014). Heartburn.

11 St-Onge MPAnja Mikic A, Pietrolungo CE. Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality. Adv Nutr. 2016 Sep; 7(5): 938–949. Published online 2016 Sep 7. doi: 10.3945/an.116.012336. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015038/

12 Katagiri R, Asakura K, Kobayashi S, Suga H, Sasaki S. Low intake of vegetables, high intake of confectionary, and unhealthy eating habits are associated with poor sleep quality among middle-aged female Japanese workers. J Occup Health. 2014; 56(5):359-68.

13 Tanaka E, Yatsuya H, Uemura M, Murata C, Otsuka R, Toyoshima H, Tamakoshi K, Sasaki S, Kawaguchi L, Aoyama A. Associations of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intakes with insomnia symptoms among middle-aged Japanese workers. J Epidemiol. 2013; 23(2):132-8.

14 Agricultural Research Service. (2017). What We Eat in America. US Department of Agriculture.

15 Fatima Y, Doi SA, Mamun AA. Sleep quality and obesity in young subjects: a meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2016 Nov;17(11):1154-1166. doi: 10.1111/obr.12444. Epub 2016 Jul 15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27417913

16 Beccutia G, Pannain S. Sleep and obesity. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 Apr 22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/

17 Hendrick B. Exercise Helps You Sleep. WebMD. (2010).

18 Your Guide to Healthy Sleep. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2011). NIH Publication No. 11-5271. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf

19 Your Guide to Healthy Sleep. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2011). NIH Publication No. 11-5271.

20 Peterson SM. 5 ways to sleep more soundly. Dec, 2016. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/five-ways-sleep-soundly/art-20267152

21 Ferracioli-Oda E1, Qawasmi A, Bloch MH. Meta-analysis: melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders. PLoS One. 2013 May 17;8(5):e63773. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063773. Print 2013.

22 Buscemi N, Vandermeer B, Hooton N, Pandya R, Tjosvold L, et al. (2005) The efficacy and safety of exogenous melatonin for primary sleep disorders. A meta-analysis. J Gen Intern Med 20: 1151–1158.

24 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. 2016.Valerian. National Institutes of Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/valerian

25 Adib-Hajbaghery M, Mousavi SN. The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: A clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. Volume 35, December 2017, Pages 109-114.

26 Montgomery P, Burton JR, Sewell RP, Spreckelson TF, Richardson AJ. Fatty acids and sleep in UK children: subjective and pilot objective sleep results from the DOLAB study – a randomized controlled trial. J Sleep Res. 2014 Aug;23(4):364-88. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12135. Epub 2014 Mar 8.

27 Montgomery P, Burton JR, Sewell RP, Spreckelson TF, Richardson AJ. Fatty acids and sleep in UK children: subjective and pilot objective sleep results from the DOLAB study – a randomized controlled trial. J Sleep Res. 2014 Aug;23(4):364-88. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12135. Epub 2014 Mar 8.