Fall Asleep Faster With Carbs

How To Fall Asleep Faster – Carb Load In The Evening

Newish research is out and conclusive in a very strange way that I’m not sure I believe very much. I only post this out of interest because I haven’t been sleeping very well this week. Not sure why but maybe it’s because I haven’t been eating enough bread and pasta. It seems that if I eat carbs in the evening I may just be able to fall asleep faster.

Carbohydrate Sleep Study

The following study details some of the findings on carbs and sleep. Take from it what you will.

"Counting sheep might not help you fall asleep faster, but counting carbs will. Researchers from the University of Sydney found that eating a meal rich in carbs, such as whole-grain toast or rice, four hour’s before bedtime can shave 10 minutes off the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. The study’s authors say that high-carb foods increase serotonin circulation, which has a calming and relaxing effect."

I’ve got to be honest, as I previously said; this finding on sleep and carbs doesn’t jump out at me as important or relevant. I don’t know about you but I can’t imagine a piece of toast at dinner helping me to fall asleep faster when I go to bed, evening carbs, really?

I do think a nice Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner would put me to sleep in the mid-afternoon after the football game but toast at 7pm just seems a little lacking. Then again, I don’t suffer from insomnia like others. My sleep problems are probably from staying up too late playing video games. For some others who have legitimate problems falling asleep (i.e. sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome) this might be a valid approach to try. After all; sleep problems are indirectly responsible for many health issues so addressing them is more than just addressing your comfort.

Fall Asleep Faster With Exercise

I do feel that sleep will come easier if you get active throughout your day. This isn’t quite as easy are carb loading at dinner time but I’m confident that it will work for most. In my opinion the human body was built to work hard. In fact it did work hard for thousands of years and only recently it sits at desks and on couches. Work these days is nothing. It’s no wonder so many people have trouble falling asleep when we hardly work at all. Try getting off your butt and exercising and make your body tired. You’ll probably fall asleep faster and help you live a longer life. Just check out this old post on sleep and life expectancy for more reading on the subject.

Source
This quote was found in the February 2008 issue of Best Life magazine.