Menopause Sleep Problems: Diet and Nutrition
Can what and when you eat help with perimenopause sleep problems?
Diet and nutrition are super important to help with menopause tiredness and insomnia. The time of day you put away those sugary snacks and take on board caffeine can go on to play havoc with the quality of your sleep.
Healthy diet tips to help improve your menopausal sleep:
Magnesium is important for promoting a calm, sleepy feeling and regulating your body clock. Found in:
Dark leafy greens, baby spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and Brussels sprouts.
Nuts and seeds, try making a trail mix with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, milled linseed, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts and pecans, add a few dried fruits for a little natural sweetness.
Fish, (also full of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D) SMASH your symptoms by eating salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring, and tuna, at least once a week.
Legumes are nutrient-rich powerhouses of natural fibre, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Eat more, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, black-eyed peas, and quinoa.
Avocados are packed full of multivitamins and healthy nutrients.
Bananas, are also full of bone-strengthening potassium, fibre & vitamin C.
Dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa.
Tryptophan; helps boost the production of the sleep-inducing brain chemicals serotonin and melatonin. Found in wholegrain oats, brown rice and quinoa, eggs, salmon, chicken, turkey, nuts, seeds, and lettuce.
Can dairy products help you sleep better in menopause?
Low levels of calcium have been linked to poor sleep. Studies have shown that dairy products can help you sleep. Calcium found in dairy products and yogurt help to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin.
That old wives’ tale encouraging us to drink warm milk before bedtime turns out to be gold top!
Milk contains tryptophan and having a warm milky drink with a carbohydrate snack (nuts, rice cakes, banana and yogurt,) may help raise serotonin levels, although some experts think it may be the familiar, comforting routine of a bedtime drink that helps you fall asleep rather than the milk. A good result either way.
Say cheese! A British Cheese Board study found that eating cheese before bed can help you to fall asleep more easily. Tryptophan at work again as cheese is rich in this amino acid.
The National Sleep Foundation recommend cottage cheese as a night-time snack due to its high tryptophan content to encourage the release of serotonin that all-important natural relaxant.
Conversly, a study in Frontiers in Psychology found the type of food consumed has very little impact on the likelihood of sleep disturbance. The biggest factors being an individual’s lifestyle choices - when someone eats whether they binge-eat and their overall health - all affected an individual’s quality of sleep.
Here we’ve looked at the types of food to include in your menopause diet but there are certain foods and drinks that can negatively impact the quality of your precious perimenopause sleep. Check out what to avoid in your menopause diet.
Our Positive Pause mantra is ‘eat right to sleep at night’!