Food influences all aspects of life, and also sleep. There are foods that disturb sleep and others foods that help children sleep better at night.
In addition to creating a routine that helps the child relax before going to bed, such as a bath, massage, pampering and a story, food is also important to get a good rest. Sleep disorders in children can have various causes, including eating. It is not usual to think about it, but both foods and the way we offer them can have a lot to do.
To begin, we must know that it is not advisable to overeat before sleeping. It is often believed that when sleeping with a full stomach children sleep better, but it is not so. Eating too much at night causes stomach heaviness and interferes with sleep phases.
On the contrary, going to sleep on an empty stomach will make you wake up hungry at night. The ideal is A light dinner and allow time for digestion before bedtime.
Foods we should avoid at dinner
- Avoid protein foods like meat and fish, they activate dopamine and make sleep difficult.
- Avoid fats. They are heavy and make digestion difficult.
- Avoid soda and caffeine-rich foods, like chocolate, they are stimulants for the body.
- Avoid sweet foods because they raise the level of glucose in blood, causing that when lowering it can wake up at night.
- Avoid raw vegetables and citrus juices; They produce swelling.
- Avoid spicy dishes.
- Avoid drinking too much liquid. If you no longer wear diapers at night, it will make you wake up more times to go to the bathroom.
Food suitable for dinner
There are foods rich in certain neurotransmitter precursor substances that make it easier to fall asleep, such as:
- The potato: helps reduce the level of blood sugar and prevents the action of acids that block the function of tryptophan, an essential amino acid necessary for the formation of melatonin and serotonin, neurotransmitters that participate in the sleep cycle.
- The turkey: Because of its low fat content and because it contains tryptophan, it is a good food to promote rest and sleep.
- Fruits and vegetables, especially onions, tomatoes, cherries and bananas, rich in tryptophan and magnesium, muscle relaxant.
- Rice, pasta, squash and oats. Complex carbohydrates, as well as soy, oats are beneficial against sleep problems.
- Dairy. As the grandmothers say, a glass of warm milk is effective in inducing sleep due to its high tryptophan content, a substance that promotes sleep.
- Whole foods and nuts. They contain vitamins B1 and B6 as well as magnesium, important for the functioning of the nervous system.
