We are a people of night owls: not us Italians in particular, we modern men and women in general. From a statistical point of view, it has been seen that over 65% of the world population sleeps about 6 hours and 27 minutes, less than the 7 hours which are the minimum recommended amount of hours of sleep per day (within 24 hours). In fact, you should sleep 7 to 9 hours a day. Not being able to sleep within the recommended amount of hours can be the cause of a series of disorders related to increased stress (perceived and not): the lack of rest in fact translates into hormonal, immune and metabolic problems.
In people who sleep little, we see itan increase in ghrelin (hunger hormone), stress hormones (cortisol, noradrenaline, etc.), insulin. The high cortisol then has an impact on blood sugar. But not only that: some studies report an increased risk of overweight, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, problems with mood, concentration and memory. Today we see in this article why not being able to sleep can also be linked to eating problems. And we will also see the natural remedies to improve sleep, as well as the recommendations of proper sleep hygiene that we should already know (and if we do not know them here is a link ).

NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP: HERE ARE SOME CAUSES
– The fact is that you are hungry. We know that lack of sleep increases hunger, and therefore leads to eating more (or worse) during the day, but many also underestimate the opposite. Being hungry keeps us awake, and leads us to wake up early.
Basically it’s like a dog chasing its own tail. On the one hand, if you don’t eat enough, you don’t sleep. On the other hand, if you don’t sleep, you will be much hungrier the next day. It is your case if: you are on a diet, have a too light dinner, go to bed with a little hunger and instead of eating you try to make yourself a herbal tea (but hunger is hungry!), Go to bed thinking about breakfast the next day, have an essentially protein dinner.

In the latter case (the others already seem clear to me), proteins stimulate the action of insulin, but if they are not associated with a correct amount of carbohydrates, they can create a state of hypoglycemia to which the body responds with an increase in cortisol and a lipolytic effect. But cortisol at night must be low. Furthermore, carbohydrates have a beneficial effect on serotonin, through the action of tryptophan. What if I take tryptophan directly? I do not recommend it. Supplements based on tryptophan are insidious, generally in a varied diet we already take this amino acid, and in some cases the supplement increases the state of fatigue. Furthermore, taking tryptophan does not necessarily increase serotonin levels. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, enhance both of them. Finally, if you have a vitamin B6 deficiency, tryptophan as a supplement can even be harmful.

If hunger (or the wrong diet) is your problem, and I assure you it is a very frequent problem,  here is how you can behave.

1) Before bed, have a snack, but remember, the snack must be balanced.A glass of milk with a teaspoon of honey, a Greek yogurt with a small chopped banana and a teaspoon of honey, a slice of toast with a slice of cheese. The top is to add a pinch of salt to the cake, because the salt has an effect on cortisol. A scoop of ice cream, for example, is an excellent pre-bed snack, as well as 20 grams of Parmesan cheese with a teaspoon of honey or a small pear as an alternative to honey. Even some solitaire made with two tablespoons of rice and a glass of skim milk, a teaspoon of sugar or honey and a pinch of salt is a fantastic pre-bed snack.

One of my strong points is grape or apple juice jelly. On 200 ml of heated apple juice I dissolve 6 grams of isinglass and add a pinch of salt or a level tablespoon of Great Lakes instead of isinglass (orange package). Gelatin contains glycine (animal glycine, not agar agar): glycine, the smallest amino acid, not essential but the need for which increases with age, improves sleep quality, and has a lot of benefits on the metabolism, liver health and gastrointestinal problems . If you start your meal at dinner with a broth of meat and bones, or a broth of fish bones cooked for no less than 6-7 hours, you will have a natural sleepiness already after dinner.. Thanks to glycine, which also increases insulin sensitivity.

I know what you’re thinking: eeeeh, but then I won’t get fat? 
Not if you keep track of your daily calories. You will gain weight if you continue to sleep little, because in a stressful situation the body stores energy instead of using them, that is, a greater metabolic efficiency is created, the opposite of what you want, and not only you risk gaining weight.
If you solve your sleep problem, you have a better chance of losing weight. If you go to bed hungry, no.

2) Watch out for dinner: dinner must not only be protein, but must be balanced, and include carbohydrates from fruit, bread, pasta, potatoes or rice. A sufficient amount of carbohydrates to exceed the protein one. For those stressed out, a plate of pasta with tuna, shrimp risotto, potato salad with diced tofu or chicken, or a fruit salad after baked fish with vegetables are good choices. If you’ve eaten enough for dinner, you’re not hungry but still stressed and nervous, try a teaspoon of honey and a pinch of salt under your tongue just before bed.
If instead: you eat enough, follow these food combinations, have the right pre-bed snack… Follow me on page two for the right natural remedies.