It’s 3 A.M. again, and that marks the third restless night. Unfortunately, if this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Approximately one-third of people struggle with sleep problems, and about twenty-five percent of the American population experience insomnia.

The culprit? Research has many ideas, but two common factors always play some role or responsibility: diet and exercise.

Here's what's probably keeping you from a good night's sleep

Altered Metabolism

Diet plus exercise contribute to your metabolism. If you adopt a proper exercise routine and diet, your metabolism will stabilize, leading to balanced weight and better sleep. However, if you don’t, you can negatively alter it leading to increased weight.

Increased weight can restrict airways, cause inflammation and stress on the body, affecting the way you sleep.

You Have Heavy Food in your Gut
  

Big meals right before bed that are heavy in sugar, fats, and protein will affect your sleep and lead to poor digestion.

This can lead to increased blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, and other alignments, making it difficult to fall asleep. A well-balanced diet keeps your blood sugars and flow balances and allows oxygen to flow throughout the body easily.

You Might be a little Stressed or Depressed

Diet can reduce or worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety that can, in turn, worsen symptoms of insomnia. Avoid foods high in sugar or fats to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is the primary factor for adverse health effects.

You've Made Bad Sleep a Nasty Habit 

Research shows that changing your diet can reprogram your body’s clock or circadian rhythm. Poor sleep is often linked to obesity or metabolic diseases resulting from improper diet and exercise. Sleep deprivation also increases hormones telling you that you are hungry when you are not keeping the ugly cycle going and increasing or worsening obesity.

Therefore, it’s crucial to adopt a healthy diet first when adjusting your sleep schedules. Reducing obesity is the first step to proper sleep.

You're Dehydrated

A common yet easily overlooked culprit to lack of sleep is dehydration. An Improper diet full of sugar and salts can rid your body of needed hydration that leads to symptoms of dehydration such as irritability, fatigue, or insomnia.

It dries out your mouth and nasal passages, making it difficult to get to sleep or be comfortable throughout the night. Dehydration can also lead to cramps, inflammation, and lack of oxygen.

Famous Quotes

“Your body is malleable; you can sculpt it over time with daily habits of diet and exercise. The law of accommodation reminds us that the body may change slowly, but it will change.”

“Dress loose, take a great deal of exercise, be particular about your diet and sleep sound enough, the body has great effect on the mind.”

A Question to Consider
 

What's stopping you from getting a good night’s sleep?

I'll see you next week


**Sorry for the poor formatting these last few colomns, I'll be addressing these in future articles, Cheers**