5 scientifically proven tips to help you get a good night's sleep

Sleep is as important to health and survival as food and water. It plays an important role in our overall health, well-being, and mood, and it also affects our risk of long-term illness.

According to research, about one in five of us suffers from poor sleep. However, not everyone knows that the quality of sleep is affected by what you eat during the day. Of course, there is no single food that can cure insomnia, but there is definitely evidence that some foods can help you sleep better and longer, MailOnline writes.

To sleep better, it's the quality of what you eat that matters, not the expectation that one or two key ingredients will do the heavy lifting.

According to research published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, people who consistently eat a healthy, balanced diet sleep better than those who eat sugary foods high in processed foods – they were more likely to report poor sleep. This is likely due to the effect of diet on brain chemicals, as well as on providing the brain with the nutrients it needs to function properly.

Dr. Emily Leeming shares her science-based tips on how to improve your eating habits to wake up refreshed every day.

Drink tart cherry juice

Several small studies have shown that tart cherry juice helps you sleep better.

In a clinical trial, researchers at the University of Northumbria gave a group of 20 volunteers either 30 ml of tart cherry juice or a placebo drink twice a day for a week. The results showed that the cherry juice group experienced a significant increase in their levels of the sleep hormone melatonin. They also spent more time in bed and slept better. This effect may be due to the high amount of antioxidants and melatonin (which helps control your sleep cycle) found in cherries.

Another study found that women who increased their fruit and vegetable intake by three or more servings per day slept twice as well for three months as those who did not.

Fruits and vegetables have anti-inflammatory effects that can help improve sleep by promoting the production of melatonin and other neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) involved in the onset and maintenance of sleep.

Try switching to rye bread

If you eat a lot of fiber-the roughage found in plant foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds – you're more likely to enjoy deep, uninterrupted sleep.

It is recommended that you consume at least 30 g of fiber per day, and swapping it to whole wheat or rye bread (one slice contains 6 g of fiber) is a great way to get extra fiber.

Hot chocolate may not help you fall asleep

Even if you fall asleep well after an espresso after dinner, the caffeine in coffee can interfere with your sleep. Caffeine can stay in your system for about eight to 12 hours, so it's best to stop drinking coffee in the afternoon so it doesn't ruin your sleep.

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, drinking coffee even six hours before bedtime can lead to more than an hour of sleep loss. It doesn't just affect the amount of sleep: another study found that drinking 200 mg of caffeine in the evening (the equivalent of two cups of coffee or four cups of tea) actually changed the participants' brain function.

Despite its reputation, hot chocolate before bed may not be the best choice either, as chocolate also contains some caffeine. A large cup of cocoa contains about 25 mg – about half of a standard cup of tea. So it's better to drink herbal tea in the afternoon and evening.

But yogurt can help

It is often said that eating cheese causes nightmares, but whether this is true has not yet been fully studied. However, there is evidence that other dairy products, particularly fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir, can help you sleep better.

According to the study, drinking half a glass of kefir every day for three weeks helped participants sleep better and they were less likely to wake up during the night compared to those who drank a similar-tasting unfermented beverage. This is believed to be due to the "good" bacteria called Lactobacillus helveticus in kefir, which can increase the production of a brain chemical that, in turn, has a calming effect.

Stop eating two hours before bedtime

According to a study, people who eat right before going to bed are more likely to wake up at night and need more time to sleep to feel rested. This is because eating right before bed can activate your digestive system, interfering with your sleep. Therefore, plan an early and satisfying dinner at least two hours before bedtime.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!