Midnight snack”? The options that reconcile sleep – breaking latest news

It’s a new trend: it’s called sleep snackthe snack that induces sleep. The idea comes from the United States, where one was launched cereal line which promises sweet dreams thanks to the presence of B vitamins, folic acid and zinc, which would help the production of melatonin, the hormone that increases at night, making it easier to fall asleep. The ingredients list also includes 13 grams of added sugars from brown sugar, corn syrup, invert sugar and molasses.

Because they don’t help

«It is not recommended to consume added sugars throughout the day and even less before going to sleep. They are rewarding in the short term, but a diet that is rich in them promotes insomnia and hyperactivity, as well as having negative effects on health in general», explains Roberto Mele, coordinator of the Biology of Nutrition area of ​​the Irccs San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. Not to mention that spreading the habit of the so-called “fourth meal” it can increase the prevalence of overweight and obesity. «The term “fourth meal”, among other things, devalues ​​the snack, which should be consumed between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner, useful in ensuring glycemic control “friend” of good sleep and health», recommends the expert.

The key is lean protein

Yet sleep snacks are depopulating overseas. There are also ice creams, biscuits, bars and chocolates designed to help you sleep. “Some research suggests that before bed, protein, vitamin D, magnesium or zinc can improve the quality of sleep. In this sense, Useful foods can be dairy products, lean meats, legumes, millet, Brazil nuts, artichokes, prickly pears and pine nuts. A varied and healthy diet naturally provides the nutrients that promote the production of melatonin» continues Mele. “Its secretion is regulated by light, but one of the major influences on melatonin levels appears to be the intake of tryptophan. It is an amino acid that contributes to the construction of proteins and a neurotransmitter, serotonin, involved in mood regulation and which in turn can be converted into melatonin. Tryptophan is mainly found in dairy products, meat, fish, legumes. Foods that are rich in it could, in theory, promote the production of melatonin. So if you can’t do without an evening snack, opt for one lean protein: a small one bowl of plain yogurt or cottage cheese with a few pieces of fresh fruita glass of latte skimmed or semi-skimmed. Alternatively, small portions of raw fruit or vegetables».

Vicious circle little sleep-unhealthy food

In short, diet affects how we sleep, but the opposite is also true: insufficient sleep affects our food choices. Indeed, sleeping less can stimulate cravings for unhealthy foods and, as researchers report on American Journal of Clinical NutritionWhen people sleep just 5.5 hours a night over a two-week period, they consume 300 extra calories a day, mostly from snacks. «A correlation between reduced number of hours of sleep and overweight condition has also been noted, but the two phenomena could have a common cause, given that we don’t necessarily eat out of boredom. Foods rich in fats and simple carbohydrates are immediately rewarding, even if harmful in the medium to long term, and give theillusion of making up for that lack of well-being that a person feels when he sleeps little or badly», underlines Roberto Mele.

And the chamomile?

Its flowers contain 120 potentially bioactive substances including a flavonoid, apigenin, with mildly sedative effect. Instead, there is no scientific proof of an exciting effect, as we read on the Internet, following a prolonged infusion of chamomile.