Monday 29 April 2013

A Varied Diet Helps You Sleep Better


The individuals and organisations we work with regularly raise the issue of how travel, both for work and for pleasure, can impact on the ability to live a healthy life.  

So, over the next couple of weeks we'll be highlighting some of the key tips - relating to sleep, jet-lag, healthy hotel eating and exercise on the go - that we see making a real difference to how people perform when they have a schedule that includes travel.  

To get us started, here's some advice that will help you sleep better wherever you are in the world.

Eating a wider variety of food has a direct impact on the amount of sleep you get each night, according to research from the Centre for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Lack of vitamin C, selenium (found in nuts, meat and shellfish) and lycopene (found in red and orange-coloured foods) contributed to poor sleep patterns.  A diet of too much saturated fat, chocolate, tea and alcohol was found to prevent good sleep too*.

So, to boost your ability to sleep focus on snack choices that combine fruit and nuts and choose meals that are constructed around chicken or fish.  Aim to consume a maximum of 1-2 teas or coffees per day and 1-2 units of alcohol.

*Source: Men's Running Magazine

Image from Flickr: avlxyz

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