Have you been sleeping well for the past weeks? Lack of sleep can directly affect your mental and physical health? That's true and you ought to take it seriously.
Falling short of sleep can take a serious toll on your wellness, which includes lowering your esteem, productivity, and emotional balance.
Your reason for not sleeping well can even be the cause of the ineffectiveness of your weight-loss program. Honest. And that's one step away from a big achievement in your life.
But wait, why exactly are you not sleeping well when you got a nice, warm bed with you? Don't you know you have control of the quality of your sleep? Sure, you do.
A good guess is that you got some healthy/ "unhealthy" habits that are the cause of your tossing and turning at night.
What You Should/ Should Not Do Before Bed
This now takes us to today's topic on what you should/ should not do before bed if you really want to sleep better.
1. Should I Eat Banana Before Bed?
Hmm. This one is a little tricky to directly say yes or no. It is in between the two as bananas (ripe) are amongst the sweet fruits, with a medium piece projected to have 14 grams sugar.
According to health experts, using too much sugar at night can negatively impact your sleep by waking you up in the middle of the night.
On the positive end, a banana has numerous nutritional values that can help you build a good sleep. For one, the fruit has Tryptophan (amino acid), which helps increase the serotonin levels and improve sleep.
Also, bananas have magnesium and potassium, both of which harmoniously helps improve sleep by relaxing the muscles and nerves.
So, with moderation, bananas before bed can help improve sleep.
2. Should I Drink Apple Cider Vinegar Before Bed?
Similar to other natural products, apple cider vinegar can offer you a lot of health benefits using the contained Vitamin B, C, and pectin. Nonetheless, the benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar before bed have very little to do with sleep.
Experts like Dr. Laura C. Stix don't even recommend it as it can "creep back up" and inflame the esophagus as you lie down.
Since sleeping involves lying, you have to ensure you remain in an upright posture for at least half an hour after in case you use ACV.
3. Should I Drink A Protein Shake Before Bed?
Yes, you should.
For the disciplined gym-goers, we're pretty sure you already know of this one for it's what will instigate muscle growth. Your body usually doesn't grow while you're standing but when at rest.
Taking protein shake before bed helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), hence, increasing their strength and function. Also, the protein drink will help boost your morning metabolism and the power to burn calories faster.
4. Should I Drink Green Tea Before Bed?
Yeah, you can but at limited quantities and for a couple of minutes before going to bed. The reason we're saying this is because the drink has L-Theanine which is good in boosting relaxation and better sleep. On the other hand, green tea has caffeine which the hard workers rely on to improve their alertness and manage drowsiness.
So, for you to sleep better, you have to go for a low-caffeinated green tea.
5. Should I Drink Lemon Water Before Bed?
We all know water is very important in our bodies to enhance the functioning of the internal organs and maintain healthy skin.
On its end, lemon water can serve as a good natural detox and constipation reliever due to its acidic properties. The drink will facilitate smooth and steady digestion, plus it will help dispose of unhealthy toxins. Hence, guaranteeing you a good night sleep.
So, you can drink lemon water before bed.
6. Should I Drink Milk Before Bed?
Why not?
Milk contains tryptophan(amino acid) and melatonin. Both are very essential compounds, with the former helping with inducing sleep.
Melatonin, on the other hand, is a hormone that will help regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Apart from the two, milk also has a significant amount of protein to stimulate muscle strength and growth while sleeping.
7. Should I Eat Peanut Butter Before Bed?
Of course, you can.
Some experts do not recommend eating before bed as some people get to overdo it and jeopardize their weight loss routine.
Nonetheless, you can use a healthy snack and combine it with peanut butter to boost your metabolism. Just like milk, peanut butter contains tryptophan that can help trigger those sleep-inducing brain chemicals.
8. Should I Drink Coffee Before Bed?
If your goal is to sleep, I don't think it's a good idea.
When we compare it with green tea, coffee tends to contain almost 4times the amount of caffeine. A cup of green tea have about 26mg, whereas a cup of coffee has 100-150mg of it (caffeine).
As we highlighted earlier, Caffeine is a really nice stimulant to arouse alertness. It does this by blocking "sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain" and instigating the production of more adrenaline.
9. Should I Work Out Before Bed?
Yeah, you can.
Exercising before bed won't make your sleep worse (if that's what you had thought) but it can help stimulate a deep sleep.
With a deep sleep (also called slow-wave sleep), you're likely to wake up rejuvenated and with your body functioning properly. Your form of workouts, nonetheless, shouldn't be vigorous as hard exercising will, probably, raise your heart rate. Which, then, will take time to come to a resting position.
So, exercise light if you wish to induce sleep.
Read More: 10-Minute Yoga Before Bed10. Should I Do Stretching Before Bed?
Definitely yeah.
Stretching helps relieve muscle tension of both the body and mind. Hence, making it simple for you to fall asleep. Since it's also a form of working out, don't go for tough stretching techniques, or else, you mess with your sleep.
11. Should I Take A Cold Shower Before Bed?
Which is your favorite? Warm shower for certain, which, of course, is not "healthy" as it will speed up your metabolism.
If you are looking forward to a sweet, sound shuteye, go for a cold shower as it helps trigger sleep-inducing signals.
Your shower, nonetheless, should be one hour before you go to bed. This is so to give the body some time to recover from the shock of the cold water.
Now, Sleep Tight
Sleep is important in your life, lifestyle, and even career.
Sometimes it's more important than the three as once you lose your concentration, your productivity reduces and affects your normal routine.
Having answered your questions on what you should/ should not do before bed, though, we hope you'll now sleep sweet and sound.
Have a Good Night.
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