How to sleep: The foods which contain ‘nature’s relaxant’ – can help insomnia sufferers

Olympian Greg Rutherford shares his top tips on sleep

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People with insomnia will regularly find it hard to go to sleep, and can wake up several times during the night and lie awake at night. For most, sleep problems tend to sort themselves out within about a month, according to the NHS. It adds: “Most people experience problems with sleep in their life.” Fortunately, some foods can help people with their sleep.

Food for the Brain charity says insomnia can be a significant cause of stress, mood problems and irritability, not to mention daytime sleepiness and feelings of tiredness.

The charity warns: “Lack of sleep can also lower your immune response and if it’s chronic it may even raise your risk of dementia.”

It explains: “If you have blood sugar levels which fluctuate wildly throughout the day and night, this can affect your sleep.

“Excessive sugar in your blood can have you feeling wide awake, whereas if your blood sugar is low, your body’s response is to release cortisol, a naturally-occurring hormone whose function is to release stored sugar into the bloodstream. Cortisol has a natural cycle in the body and low levels are required prior to sleep.”

“Magnesium is known as ‘nature’s relaxant’. Its role in the body is to counteract the contracting effect of calcium.

In the modern diet, most people take in plenty of dietary from dairy products, but it seems that magnesium intake is dropping.

“Magnesium is found in highest amounts in green leafy vegetables and pumpkin seeds.“Nonetheless, the charity warns magnesium may lower blood pressure, so if you are taking blood pressure medication, you should keep a close watch on your blood pressure and consult your doctor if it drops as your medication may need to be reduced.

You can increase your magnesium intake through increased intake of spinach, kale, cabbage, spring greens and other foods.

There are also some drinks which can have negative consequences. Caffeine and alcohol can stop you falling asleep and prevent good quality sleep.

Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep, and also prevents deep sleep.

Therefore, it is recommended that people cut down on alcohol and avoid caffeine close to bedtime.

Caffeine can be found in other sources too. These include:

• Tea
• Some fizzy drinks
• Chocolate
• Energy drinks
• Some pain relievers.

Everyone needs different amounts of sleep. On average adults need seven to nine hours, while children need nine to 13 hours. Toddlers and babies need 12 to 17 hours of sleep, every day.

The NHS says: “When people have problems falling or staying asleep, it’s often referred to as insomnia.

“However, it’s not until the difficulty sleeping starts to significantly affect you during the day that it would actually be considered a medical condition.”

In fact, it’s thought that a third of Britons will have episodes of insomnia at some point.

The NHS says the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus.

It says: “Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.

It’s now clear that a solid night’s sleep is essential for a long and healthy life.“Some people are naturally lighter sleepers or take longer to drop off, while some life circumstances might make it more likely for your sleep to be interrupted, like stressful events or having a new baby.”

If poor sleep is affecting your daily life or causing you distress, you can talk to your GP.

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