Having Trouble Sleeping? Try Sleep Snack

When one of my patients asked me if a mixture of sugar and salt would help her fall asleep I instantly wanted to say, 'Of course not!'. Such a thing is something she read online and even when asking me my professional opinion she said that maybe she was asking as an excuse to feed her sweet tooth. But instead of saying no, curiosity got the best of me and when she sent me the link and I did my research I was surprised at how the data did add up. I still don't like the idea of eating sugar so I think a simple carb with a healthy protein is the best way to go.

I love to test new things on myself first before recommending it to patients but this natural remedy is hard to test unless you have trouble sleeping. So for those of you who try it I would love the feedback!

How to Make a Sleep Snack:

It’s either a spoonful of nut butter and some honey or avocado on a gluten-free cracker right before bed.  The protein plus the carb will help you sleep deeper and get better quality sleep.

You can eat it before you go to bed as you get ready for sleep, or leave on your night stand for if you wake up in the night.

There’s a reason why your eyes snap open at 3 am. You’re having a biochemical reaction to excessive amounts of stress hormones floating throughout your body that’s trying to sleep. In a healthy body with a healthy metabolism, hormone levels cycle moderately through highs and lows throughout the day. When you have a stressed metabolism, natural peaks of stress hormone levels spike to abnormal highs, initiating a stress response. When this happens at night, it seriously disrupts sleep patterns, and often causes you to wake up—often leaving you so wired up that you’re unable to fall back asleep.

Once the body has the right balance of blood sugar and especially if you are not as stressed you won't necessarily need the sleep snack but if you take it when it's not needed it definitely won't do any harm. Either way have, 'sweet dreams'!

For other tips on sleeping well, read my other blog on sleeping tips or listen to my podcast on For Better Sleep.