We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.
Along with diet and exercise, sleep is the third pillar of good health, essential to your overall wellbeing.
“Poor sleep can really affect your life,” says sleep physiologist Tim Stephenson. “The negative impacts can include poor concentration and slower reactions, forgetfulness, tiredness and lethargy, mood swings and even mood disorders.”
36 per cent of Australians are sleep-deprived.Credit:iStock
He adds: “Sleep problems can develop very slowly. People often don’t realise how tired, grumpy or forgetful they’ve become, until they see an improvement in their sleep and their loved ones tell them how much better they seem.”
Optimum sleep supports your immunity, too. During the various sleep stages, your body works to repair and restore its systems, releasing small proteins called cytokines, which help ward off infection and inflammation. “Sleep is a very active process,” says Stephenson. “Your body is amazing, and works hard during the night to set you up for the next day and support your health. So it is incredibly important to get good quality sleep.”
With research from sleep health company, ResMed, showing that 36 per cent of Australians are sleep-deprived (catching six hours or less per night) and 38 per cent rate their sleep as poor, we’re a nation that could benefit from better shuteye. And it all starts in the day.
The foundation for good sleep, says Stephenson, is a regular routine. “Humans were designed to recognise when it was getting dark and to go to sleep somewhere safe, then wake up at daylight. Now we interfere with this in all sorts of ways, from work and family requirements to artificial lights and electronic devices.”
Establishing a regular sleep routine and sticking to it helps mitigate those disruptions, he says. “Try to wake up at the same time every day; even at weekends if possible.”
Regular exercise and being outdoors are also key sleep-supporters, Stephenson says. “Your sleep really benefits from daily exposure to sunlight, especially in that morning to lunchtime period. Even just a walk outdoors helps and even on an overcast day!. Try not to sit at a desk all day, which is all too easy, especially if you work at home.”
Good nutrition and good sleep are inseparable, working together to support our wellbeing, says dietitian Jessica Spendlove.
“Sleep can impact our dietary pattern and choices and in turn, our diet can impact the quality and quantity of our sleep.”
When you’re not sleeping well, she says, chances are you’re not making your smartest food choices – and this in turn impacts your sleep, creating a negative cycle. “When we’re tired, we’re more likely to reach for the fast, convenient pick-up of high sugar foods or an extra caffeine hit, and that can disrupt your sleep further.”
Research from ResMed’s sleep survey shows a quarter of Australians and nearly a third of Australian women say they snack more after a bad night’s sleep, and over a quarter (27 percent) rely more on caffeinated products after a bad night’s sleep.
Poor quality sleep can also disrupt the hormones that regulate our appetite, Spendlove adds. “Research shows that when we are sleep-deprived, we tend to have higher levels of ghrelin, the ‘hunger hormone,’ and less of that feeling of fullness which is regulated by leptin.”
Good nutrition and good sleep are inseparable, says dietitian Jessica Spendlove.
Eating healthfully and regularly best supports good sleep, says Spendlove. “Nutritious and balanced meals and snacks containing proteins, good quality slow release high fibre carbohydrates, ahealthy fats and veggies throughout the day keeps us satisfied and energised,” she says.
“Without that constant flow of good nutrition, and if you skip meals, you’re more likely to have a large meal at the end of the day and potentially crave sweet foods at night, both of which may interfere with a good night’s sleep.
A sleep-boosting daily diet might look like this:
Breakfast: overnight oats with a high protein yoghurt or soy milk; fresh or frozen berries; nuts with chia seeds or a nut butter. Eggs, smoked salmon on sourdough with baby spinach and tomato.
Lunch: Poke bowl or soba noodles, chicken, tofu or salmon, plus plenty of salad vegetables; avocado or nuts or seeds for healthy fats.
Afternoon snacks: a smoothie, or fruit and veggie snack plate; hummus, wholegrain crackers; boiled egg, cheese.
Dinner: A stir-fry or burrito bowl with beef mince, lentils or legumes for protein, brown rice for slow-release carbohydrates, homemade guacamole and then lots of different coloured veggies.
Spendlove also recommends enhancing your daily diet with sleep-empowering foods. “Some foods are high in melatonin, the hormone that supports a regular sleep cycle,” she says. “These include tart cherries, eggs, fatty fish, milk, mushrooms and nuts.”
“Tryptophan is an amino acid that’s been shown to boost melatonin, and good sources include bananas, milk, yoghurt, cheese, fatty fish, chicken and turkey.”
Magnesium is another friend to good sleep, she adds. “It’s found in many nutritious foods like leafy greens, nuts, legumes, seeds, yoghurt and milk, soy products and brown rice.”
Meanwhile, she recommends approaching coffee and alcohol with caution. “It’s best to avoid or limit our alcohol. We know that two drinks or more can affect sleep quality and duration. It’s also best to avoid coffee after midday.”
If you’re having trouble sleeping, go to ResMed.com.au and take the free online sleep assessment today.
Copyright © 2022