As of: March 24, 2024, 5:18 a.m
By: Julia Hanigk
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You don't always have to fight insomnia with expensive products.
Simply changing your diet often helps.
A health coach has advice.
Munich – Around six million Germans suffer from sleep disorders, as an analysis by the Barmer health insurance company from 2023 shows.
The reasons for this are as varied as the treatment methods.
Instead of immediately reaching for a wealth of drugstore products, it can also be helpful to examine your eating habits.
In an interview with IPPEN.MEDIA,
Munich nutritionist Tanja Maxeiner gives
helpful tips on how you can improve your sleep quality through food.
Tanja Maxeiner has advice when it comes to the right diet for restful sleep.
(montage) © Wolfgang Müller Photography;
Friso Gentsch/dpa/picture alliance
Improve sleep – timing of eating is crucial
Basically, Maxeiner advises you to think about exactly when you eat.
Sleep and nutrition are linked for a healthy body and mind.
“You shouldn’t eat anything at least three hours before going to sleep,” she explains.
This means the body can digest food reasonably well before going to bed and can concentrate on its actual task, regeneration, at night.
To ensure a restful night's sleep, a lot of fiber should be included in your diet in the evening.
Briefly steamed vegetables and protein-rich products such as fish and legumes are good for the body.
Sugar and saturated fatty acids, on the other hand, should be avoided in order to support healthy and deep sleep.
This is Tanja Maxeiner
Tanja Maxeiner is a health advisor (IHK) and nutrition coach with the “easy guarantee”.
Her motto: A healthy lifestyle doesn't always have to be complicated.
Maxeiner gives tips on how it is possible to live healthily despite stressful everyday life.
She is a certified nutrition, Nordic walking and stress management coach and also gives many lectures.
IHK health coach Tanja Maxeiner knows the nutritional tricks for better sleep.
© Wolfgang Müller Photography
But which foods specifically promote good sleep?
Nutrition expert Maxeiner recommends:
root vegetable
Oven vegetables with fresh herbs
Green leafy vegetables
Legumes such as peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and lupins
nuts
avocado
Fish
Lean meat
tofu
Tempeh
Eggs
lowfat quark
Nutrition expert Stephanie Steinegger adds in the
TZ (issue March 15, 2024)
: “Cooling foods such as briefly steamed vegetables, cream cheese, and high-quality vegetable oil help ensure healthy sleep.
Pears, cooked tomatoes, mushrooms, walnuts and herbs such as basil, lemon balm and lavender also help to calm down.”
Another steak in the evening?
Why fatty meat is bad for sleep
However, some foods are also on the no-go list.
Coffee and caffeinated drinks are known to stimulate the body.
But alcohol also disrupts sleep, as Maxeiner explains: “Although you often fall asleep more quickly after drinking alcohol, it has been proven that sleep is massively disturbed.
The body has to take care of the 'worst thing', namely the alcohol, before it can begin its actual activity, regeneration.”
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In addition to drinks, snacks are also problematic, as they are often eaten carelessly while watching TV.
This includes chips and sweets – they are considered highly processed foods.
At dinner you should also avoid grilled and fried, fatty meat and fatty, heavy sausage products.
The reason is the saturated fatty acids it contains.
They put an unnecessary burden on the body with digestive performance, especially in the evening.
Nutrition expert Steinegger adds in the
TZ
: “Very spicy and stimulating foods like garlic.
Chili and dried ginger should also be avoided.
More than just nutrition: tips for naturally good sleep
In addition to proper nutrition, there are other tips that don't cost anything.
Stay physically active, reduce your stress hormones and fall asleep more easily.
Avoid strenuous activities before going to bed and create a pleasant room climate - the optimal temperature in the bedroom should be between 16 and 19 degrees.
Another factor: put away electronic devices in good time.
The blue, bright light from the screen prevents the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
(jh)