Eat your way to a great night's sleep: part 1

Sleep is crucial to fitness, health, stress management, good mood and a positive outlook on life.

So how do you make sure you sleep well and for the right length of time every night?  You are only as good and as effective as the quality of your sleep. In essence, You are what you snooze. 

Making sure you get a good night's sleep begins from the moment you wake up in the morning. Everything you eat and drink each day will have an effect on your sleep patterns later on so managing your energy and keeping your system calm is crucial. 

Here are some great healthy eating tips to help you gear up for a quality sleep.

• Wake up at a regular time and start the day with a glass of water or a cup of warm water with lemon. This is the beginning of a well-hydrated day. Proper hydration prevents irritability and leads to eating well so this is an easy way to get your day off to a great start. Think about this every day - the first thing you consume each day sets the tone for the rest of the day so start as you mean to go on.

• Breakfast on porridge / oatmeal, muesli or fruit and yoghurt with seeds. Oats in porridge or muesli release energy slowly which keeps you calm throughout the morning. Fruit can release sugars into the bloodstream quickly but combining them with a protein such as yoghurt and seeds slows down the digestion of your breakfast. Avoid sugary cereals which cause a quick rise in blood sugar followed by a quick drop which leaves you craving more sugar as this pattern will then repeat itself throughout the day. Climbing aboard this sugar rollercoaster leaves you feeling moody, running on adrenalin and makes it tough to wind down at the end of the day. 

• Drinking caffeine is like taking a quick injection of stress hormones. Tea, coffee and fizzy drinks should be kept to a minimum and for most people, cutting back here isn’t too much of a problem. Usually, you enjoy one or two.  The third and fourth might not feel quite so satisfying and any more than that don't leave you feeling great.  Focus on quality rather than the quantity with your caffeine intake and you won’t feel deprived. Then, when you’ve had your fix, switch to herbal, green or Rooibos (Redbush) tea. These usually have no caffeine, taste great and leave you feeling calm and focused. 

• Your morning snack can be pineapple, kiwi or banana with sesame seeds, peanuts, walnuts or pecan nuts. These are all high in serotonin which helps to regulate frustration, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep and appetite. Sesame seeds are a particularly good source of zinc which is an essential component of an effective immune system which is vital for dealing well with stressful situations. Keep a small bag of these on your desk at work so you remember to have a handful a day.

• Lunch should be salad-based as the leaves help to calm the nerves. Adding fish or turkey provides you with a helping of Tryptophan – an essential amino acid that increases brain levels of serotonin to keep you calm. 

At this stage, you’re well into your day feeling calm, focused, effective and energised. You've grazed well throughout the morning and restricted your caffeine intake - so far, everything is on track for a calm day and great sleep at the end. 

Now onto the second half of the day...