Having a healthy bedtime routine can take you a long way in terms of sleeping well and feeling energetic and in the right mood the next day.
Sleeping well is also important to prevent weight gain and to have a strong and healthy immunity. What you eat and drink before bed time, or for dinner, can influence your quality of sleep.
Seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep is recommended for people to stay fit and healthy. There are many things that one can do to promote good sleep, like diet and lifestyle changes, which can help you sleep well at night.
Here are some of them:
1. Turmeric milk
Drink a cup of turmeric milk at night. Add a pinch of dried ginger powder and jaggery to it. It can help you have good quality and restful sleep at night. Curcumin in turmeric can help in boosting immunity and preventing cough, cold and flu during change of season. Furthermore, drinking a cup of turmeric milk every day can promote hormonal balance. It can be an effective remedy for acne and unpredictable periods.
2. Have a light dinner
Your dinner should be light on your stomach. If you have something fried, or full of refined carbs, too close to bed time, it can have a negative effect on your sleep. It makes the body work harder to digest that food. This can keep you from having a deep sleep and may make you wake up from sleep several times. There needs to be a gap of minimum two hours between your bed time and dinner. Also, make sure your dinner is light on the stomach.
3. Chamomile tea
Like turmeric milk, you can also have a cup of chamomile tea at night. Chamomile tea contains antioxidants that can promote sleepiness. Drinking it before bedtime can help in improving your overall sleep quality.
4. Avoid use of gadgets one hour before bedtime
Now this is something that you need to follow diligently if you want to sleep well at night. Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar says that you must avoid using gadegts at least an hour before sleeping. Blue light from a computer screen or phone can interfere with sleep. Scrolling through social media posts or checking your mails before bedtime can be stressful. It can make it difficult for you to relax and sleep.
5. Almonds and walnuts
Nuts are popular for several reasons. Not only are they a good source of vegetarian protein, they are also rich in essential fats and micronutrients like magnesium, manganese and phosphorus. Almonds are rich in magnesium, which is known to promote production of melatonin, the sleep-enhancing hormone. Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and linoleic acid, which can promote better sleep.
