Sleep Disorders have Become a Global Problem, Quitting Five Eating Habits will Help You Sleep Well

According to the survey results of the World Sleep Society, sleep disorders have become a common problems in the world, affecting the quality of life and health of nearly half of the people. One out of every 5 people on average in Taiwan suffers from insomnia. Sleep experts suggest quitting the five eating habits can help you sleep better.

Taipei, TAIWAN (Merxwire) – Did you sleep well? According to the survey results of the World Sleep Society (WSS), sleep disorders have become a common problem worldwide, affecting the quality of life and health of half people. Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine mentioned 1 out of every 5 people on average in Taiwan suffers from insomnia. The total number of sleeping pills taken in a year is as high as 900 million, ranking second in the world and first in Asia.

Affected by COVID-19 in the past two years, the problem of insomnia has become more serious. The latest survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) shows that more than half of Americans, after the outbreak, began to experience symptoms of difficulty falling asleep, decreased sleep quality, excessive dreams, and insufficient sleep time. These sleep problems are called global Coronasomnia.

90% of insomnia problems are usually caused by one’s own physical discomfort, psychological factors, or mental illness, which are so-called secondary problems. About 10% of insomnia problems whose source cannot be found are primary insomnia. American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s identification of sleep disorders includes two key points, one is that sleep problems have lasted for more than one month, and the other is that the degree of sleep disorders has caused subjective anxiety and fatigue and decreased work efficiency that affects daily life performance.

What are the symptoms of poor sleep?

Observe your sleep status in the last month and see if you have any of the following problems.

• Difficulty falling asleep: In a state of anxiety and tension, with too many thoughts in the head, it is difficult to fall asleep.
• Light sleep and easy to wake up: In a light sleep state, you will be awakened when you hear a sound or bright light, and you cannot rest well.
• Poor sleep quality: unable to sleep soundly or have many dreams at night, often getting up in the morning and still in a state of fatigue.
• Waking up early: often waking up in the middle of the night or early in the morning, unable to fall asleep again, lack of sleep makes the daytime mentally exhausted.

If the period of poor sleep lasts for about a week, it is considered transient insomnia, and it is more likely to be caused by some unexpected events, such as work pressure, self-illness, and interpersonal problems. Short-term insomnia is defined as poor sleep lasting for a week to a month. It is usually related to work type, major life challenges, or jet lag, and it will improve after the event is over. If insomnia lasts for more than a week, the cause will be more complicated, and it will take more time to understand and adjust.

In addition to addressing the causes of poor sleep, you can start exercising regularly to relieve stress and boost positive emotions. You also could change the sleeping environment, including adjusting lighting, temperature, sound insulation, and bedding, so that you would sleep more comfortably. In addition, changing your daily eating habits is also a good way. Kevin Morgan, a British sleep expert, reminds everyone to adjust 5 eating habits that may make you sleep poorly, and make you sleep better.

Adjusting five eating habits to help you sleep better

1. Get rid of the habit of eating irregularly: the body’s biological clock will develop a regularity with the daily habits of the individual. Regular meal times will make the body have a difference between day and night, and there are also habitual times for getting up and going to bed. If the meal time is not fixed, it will also affect the regularity of sleep time.
2. Get rid of unbalanced eating habits: Studies have found that sleep-deprived people often have insufficient intake of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D. For People over the age of 50 who can’t sleep well, lack of vitamin C, D, E, and K, is the most obvious. Maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet helps increase the good bacteria in the gut, and more good bacteria can also help improve sleep Quality.
3. Quit drinking caffeine drinks in the evening: Because caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors that make you feel tired, it can interfere with falling asleep. Five to six hours after drinking a caffeinated drink, about half of the caffeine will remain in your body. About a quarter of the caffeine remains after 10-12 hours. Caffeine can also affect the time of deep sleep, making us feel more fatigued the next day.
4. Get rid of the habit of excessive drinking: Moderate alcohol may have a sedative effect, but unlike brain activity during sleep, your brain is a large number of brain cells that play a coordinating role during sleep, rather than shutting down the discharge function. Moreover, alcohol will touch your sympathetic nerves during sleep, making you more alert when falling asleep and unable to sleep well all night.
5. Avoid drinking too much water before going to bed: Our body must supplement water. The recommended daily drinking water is about 2000C.C to 3000C.C according to age and physical fitness. You have better drink water evenly on day rime, and not drink too much water or liquid 1-2 hours before going to bed, otherwise, you may have the urge to urinate and be unable to sleep well or interrupt your sleep to go to the toilet, which will affect the quality of sleep.

Professor Tim Spector, a gut health expert at King’s College London, recommends eating more than 30 kinds of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and beans every week to increase the good bacteria in the gut and help sleep. WSS recommends avoiding excessive drinking and smoking 4 hours before going to bed, and avoiding salty, sugary, and spicy foods. Avoid caffeinated drinks 6 hours before bedtime. Eating less processed foods and more high-fiber foods can help us sleep more soundly.