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A good night’s sleep is necessary for good health and wellbeing. But in our fast paced life, we do not get enough sleep due to stress, anxiety, work load, noisy environments, and poor eating habits. Lack of sleep can take a toll on your health. You can feel fatigued, irritable, lethargic and mentally weak like lack of concentration and alertness. Research has shown that your body needs certain vitamins and minerals that calm your nervous system and can help you sleep better. A diet rich in these nutrients or taking supplements can help you rid of tossing and turning in the bed.
Here Are 8 Vitamins And Minerals Essential For A Good Night’s Sleep:
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is one of essential nutrients for a good night’s sleep. Vitamin B6 deficiency can lead to sleeping problems. By relaxing your nervous system, this nutrient helps to fight stress. Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient for production of neurotransmitters, the chemicals which works to send signals to the brain and also helps in metabolizing carbohydrates. Some of foods that are high in vitamin B6 are yogurt, banana, peanut butter, cashew, almonds, spinach, tomato, fish, sweet potatoes, oats, seaweed and eggs.
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency can lead to chronic insomnia. This nutrient has numerous relaxing properties. It helps in calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles. Deficiency of this nutrient reduces the body’s ability to send signals to the brain. As a result of this, the body’s ability to send signals to the brain can get compromised. Magnesium helps to reduce high blood pressure, relieves stress and anxiety and headache and leg cramps and help to promote good night’s sleep. The food sources of this nutrient include leafy greens, carrots, sweet potato, bananas, kiwi, fish and dark chocolate.
Potassium
Potassium is an essential nutrient which helps the body to maintain electrolyte balance. Lack of potassium can result in muscle spasms and disturb your sleep. Potassium also helps to reduce blood pressure and helps sleep better. This nutrient is easily available in various foods like nuts, seeds, dry fruits, yogurt, celery, leafy greens, cucumber, tomatoes, fish etc.
Calcium and Vitamin D
Research has shown that sleep disturbance is very much related to calcium deficiency. Other than strengthening our bones, calcium can help to reduce anxiety and stress, lower high blood pressure and blood sugar level. Some excellent food sources of calcium are milk, yogurt, almonds, chia seeds, broccoli etc. For strong and healthy bones, along with calcium, vitamin D is also needed. Lack of vitamin D has been related to daytime sleepiness.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids help to combat stress, relax your muscles, heals inflammation and hence help you sleep better. Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, salmon, flaxseeds, chia seeds and eggs are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Including these foods in your diet can help you sleep better.
Iron
Another nutrient that helps you sleep better is iron. Deficiency of this nutrient can cause fatigue and insomnia. So, it is essential to incorporate iron rich foods in your daily diet. Kidney, liver, beans, broccoli and red meats are good source of iron.
Tryptophan
Tryptophan is another nutrient that helps you sleep well. It calms the nervous system and creates a peaceful state of mind which helps to sleep better. Tryptophan can be obtained from eggs, chicken, turkey, banana, almonds, and chia seeds, yogurt and leafy green vegetables.
Protein
Protein is also essential for reducing stress hormones and insulin. The foods that are rich in protein are eggs, nuts, seeds, seafood’s, oats, cheese and meat.
Incorporating these foods in your diet will help you sleep well at night and help you remain more active and energetic in the day time.
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