🍒 Eating habits for good sleep 💤

Plus, a surprising trick to making hard choices

View this email online Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Life Kit producer Clare Marie Schneider We all want good sleep. There’s nothing quite like waking up after a restful night. But a lot can get in the way of getting those seven or more recommended hours of sleep. One thing to consider if you want to improve your sleep — what you eat and drink.  "What you eat, in terms of nutrients, fats, sugar and fiber, can all play a role in sleep quality at night," says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a nutrition scientist and researcher at Columbia University and the co-author of the cookbook Eat Better, Sleep Better. Do you have to give up that boozy nightcap? Your bowl of cereal before bed? The 3 p.m. coffee that gets you through the rest of the work day?  We asked sleep researchers to share science-backed dietary practices that improve sleep. Here are some of their do's and don'ts. Help me sleep better Photographs by tbralnina, AnnaPustynnikova, bergamont/Getty Images /Collage by NPR 🧁DO swap sugary and processed foods for fruits and vegetables. One of the best ways to improve sleep health is to eat more produce, St-Onge says. "Add more vegetables to your recipes. Swap more processed, refined food products with a piece of fruit." Many fruits and veggies are "good sources for multiple sleep-supporting nutrients," St-Onge says. These include serotonin and melatonin, and micronutrients like magnesium, vitamin B6 and folate, which also help the body produce melatonin. ☕DO avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and evening. If you are in the habit of drinking an afternoon coffee to give you that buzz you need to power through the rest of your day, know that caffeine can actually reduce the amount of sleep you get at night. One study from 2013 found that consuming 400 milligrams of caffeine (that's about two energy drinks) six hours before bedtime reduced total sleep time by one hour. 🍸DON'T drink alcohol right before bed. While alcohol may initially sedate you, "the pendulum swings in the opposite direction and wakes you up" as it leaves your system, says Michael Grandner, a psychologist and sleep researcher at the University of Arizona. It makes your sleep "shallow, choppy and broken up.” If you think alcohol is affecting your sleep, try and cut your consumption in half, says Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep specialist and medical director based in Florida. "We're not saying stop alcohol completely. Change the timing and the amount a little bit." 🍔DON'T feast on heavy meals right before bed. Eating a big meal, like a hamburger or a bowl of pasta, right before bed can disrupt your sleep, says Abbasi-Feinberg. Digestion slows at night and lying flat after eating can lead to physical discomforts like heartburn and reflux. Put simply, "you're not supposed to eat and then lay down for hours at a time," says Grandner. Stop eating a couple of hours before bed, says Abbasi-Feinberg. "If your digestion is done, you tend to sleep better." It's fine to eat a little snack in the evening, says Dr. Chris Winter, a neurologist and sleep specialist in Charlottesville, Va. But keep it light: think hummus and chips or a bowl of cereal. Eating habits for good sleep Newsletter continues after sponsor message More on nutrition and healthy eating from Life Kit Meredith Rizzo for NPR Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. Here's how to avoid them. NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy lays out how to recognize ultra-processed foods, why you might want to eat less of them and how to actually do that. Listen to the episode.  5 steps to cooking healthy food on a budget. Minding your budget while eating the foods that nourish you takes a little planning — but it's possible. Dietitian Shana Spence shares her tips to help you shop and keep your fridge stocked without breaking the bank. Read the story.  Tips to help you eat more fiber. Rethink your relationship with fiber, the dietary superhero of food — and learn clever ways to add more of it to your diet. Read the story.  How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one. Meat production takes a heavy toll on the environment. Here's how to dial back your meat intake and make a big impact. Read the story. What to know about protein and muscle mass. Our bodies need protein to maintain muscle. That's important because muscle mass peaks in our 30s and then declines. In this episode, tips about understanding how much protein you really need. Listen to the episode. We asked, you answered: What's your favorite magical question? Anjali Kamat for NPR Got something you want to share with Life Kit? Email us at lifekit@npr.org. These letters from our listeners and readers have been edited for length and clarity. Last week, conflict resolution facilitator and author Priya Parker shared the idea of “magical questions” — queries that cut through small talk and inspire people to share themselves. We asked you for your own magical questions. Here are some of our favorites.  I am a registered nurse in a surgical recovery unit. I have short, but intimate encounters with post-op patients. I like to ask them what is on the menu when they get home. It stimulates conversation about comfort foods, cravings and their experience of fasting before their surgery. —Lori Barker  Do you like your name? —Norma Schmelling  If you had theme music, what would it be? Like, if you were to walk into a room in a movie, what song would be playing? —Rachael Jett-Barbieri  If money or time were no object, where would you like to travel? —Madeline Greer  Do you believe in ghosts? —Michelle Davitt What’s the first car you owned? —Lisa Christian  The connecting power of magical questions Support our work & listen sponsor-free Support public media while getting expert advice on health, finance, relationships and more with Life Kit+. You'll get sponsor-free listening and even some specially curated playlists of episodes by theme (Master your budget, Organize your life, Move your body, and more).   Check out all the NPR+ benefits available at plus.npr.org. Explore Life Kit+ It's never too late to learn how to swim In case you missed it Anika Orrock for NPR COMIC: Don't panic! 6 strategies to keep you calm in a crisis. In dire situations, stress can make us panic and impair our ability to make lifesaving decisions. 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It can also be a huge hit to your mental health, making it even harder to focus on logistics. In this episode, we lay out concrete next steps for the first day, week, month and onward after a layoff. That includes how to find health insurance, apply for unemployment and create a job search plan. Listen to the episode.  Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy