Giving ourselves a proper night’s sleep is the one of the best things we can do to feel our best and it’s especially important when you’re training hard.

During the deepest levels of sleep our body produces Growth Hormone which encourages the growth and repair of body cells.

However it’s sometimes easier said than done. Experiencing bouts of sleeplessness is very common and up to a third of adults will have problems with this at some point in their lives.

Here are some tips to help you to sleep better.

1. The number one thing to do is reduce the amount of stimulants from your diet. If you’re having problems sleeping then avoid them after lunchtime. Things that you want to look out for are: tea, coffee, colas, energy drinks and chocolate. De-caffeinated beverages still contain some caffeine so stay off those too. Switch to water, fruit juice, herbal teas or a milky drink instead.

2. Useful aids in getting to sleep are foods that contain the amino acid (a small protein molecule) tryptophan. Why do we need tryptophan? Once digested it forms the building blocks of the brain chemicals serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin improves mood and melatonin improves sleep

Foods containing tryptophan are bananas, figs, dates, yoghurt, tuna, turkey and wholegrain crackers. A snack containing a couple of these (turkey + cracker or banana + yoghurt) about an hour before bedtime is ideal

3. Exercise helps to promote deeper sleep. But try to make sure that you’re not doing any strenuous exercise 2-3 hours before you go to sleep as this will make you more alert when it’s time for bed.

Incidentally exercise itself stimulates the production of Growth Hormone as does one other activity. Having sex. So I recommend all of the above as part of your training regime ;o)

Kathryn

www.nutri-balance.net