Sleep and Hunger
Getting quality sleep is important for making sure our hunger hormones are optimal throughout the day. A poor night’s sleep can cause our hunger hormone (ghrelin) to increase and satiety hormone (leptin) to decrease causing us to consume more food throughout the day. Focus on eating a clean energy source from foods like nuts, avocados, eggs, fatty fish, fruits and vegetables instead of highly processed carbohydrates.
Sleep and Food Timing
The time of day we eat can also impact our sleep quality. Just like we follow a circadian rhythm for our sleep cycle, every organ has their own biological clock. When we eat later at night and closer to our bed time, our body’s digestion isn’t working as efficiently as it is earlier in the day. It is sleepy too! Our body’s response to carbohydrates later in the evening, like crackers, breads, pastas, and cereals is less favorable and can leave our blood sugar levels elevated for a longer period of time. It is best to close up the kitchen a few hours before bed time (if possible) to allow our bodies to efficiently digest our food and get prepared to repair and restore our body during sleep.
