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Hey, I’m Kenta Seki with Team GNC. I’m a fitness trainer and nutritionist who is passionate about living well and helping others be the best version of themselves by sharing my health and wellness expertise. On this episode of GNC’s Expert Series, I’ll be sharing my to tips on sleeping well.
Sleep is such a hot topic right now, and it’s so important for your overall wellbeing. Your body creates the majority of its recovery and restorative chemicals in your brain while you sleep. If sleep is so important for you, then why do the majority of people struggle to get enough sleep? Today we’re counting down my top five pro tips on sleeping better because when you sleep better, you feel better both mentally and physically. Let’s count it down.
Number one on our countdown is exercise. Exercise is so important and not just to look good. You want to make sure you’re burning off energy so that you’re actually tired at the end of the day. If you try to go to bed without exercising, chances are you’re going to have a lot of energy, calories, hormones, all these things just circulating throughout your body, and most likely your brain and body will not be able to sleep well. Exercise is a top priority. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to just get a big burst of energy pulled out of you throughout your day. If you don’t have 15 to 30 minutes a day to work out, instead, just focus on increasing your daily activity level. That could mean just parking a little bit further away from wherever you’re walking to. It could mean doing a few more squats in between your Zoom calls. You can even run around the block once or twice throughout the day and little things like that add up so that you end up fatiguing your brain and body more, which can then lead to deeper states of sleep.
Next in our countdown is nutrition. Your body needs nutrients to function correctly. No matter what you’re doing, including sleep, your brain literally functions on nutrients. If you’re not getting the right amount, the synapses could fire incorrectly, which could lead to irregular sleep patterns. You want to make sure you’re getting a good balance of everything from vitamins, minerals and macronutrients. You want to get a little bit of everything and not too much of any one thing. The more balanced your nutrition is, the better your sleep patterns will be. Your body does so much while you sleep. It’s your body’s time to rest and recover.
Protein is one of the most important nutrients that you can take to make sure that your body is functioning at its best, especially while you sleep. Have about 30 grams of protein per meal throughout the day, depending on your activity level and your goals. One of the best types of protein to take as an evening snack is casein protein. Casein protein is great because it’s slowly absorbed throughout the night, which is perfect for you if you are a heavy lifter or you exercise frequently. You can find casein protein in foods like cottage cheese, or a casein protein shake. Protein helps the cells of your body stay full. Our bodies are literally made of amino acids, which come from protein. The more protein we’re eating, we’re literally fueling our body to function at its best. Carbs, fats, and other nutrients are really important, but proteins help your body slow down and keep the digestive process going.
There’s a few other types of foods you can take that can also help you sleep. Nuts, like almonds and walnuts are really high in proteins and fats, but low in carbs. They also contain a hormone called melatonin, which can help you sleep better. Dairy milk also contains melatonin while also containing a chemical called tryptophan, which can help support restful sleep.
Number three on our countdown is supplements. Supplements are great at helping support more restful sleep. Personally, I like taking melatonin right before I go to bed to help me sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that your brain naturally produces already to help with your sleep and your wake cycle. If you find that you’re not getting enough sleep or not going to sleep fast enough, taking melatonin right before you go to bed can help you go to bed a little bit faster. Make sure you take the right amount of melatonin for your needs. Another supplement you can consider is L-theanine. It’s an amino acid naturally found in green tea that helps promote relaxation.
Now let’s talk about things that you should avoid. Before you go to bed you want to try to avoid anything that’s overly stimulating, whether it’s mental or physical. If we’re talking mental, try to avoid electronic devices like your phone, your laptop, or your TV. If you’re using your phone, try to put a blue light protector over it. Blue light has been known to decrease the quality of your sleep. When we’re talking food, first and foremost, make sure you’re not taking in too much caffeine before you go to bed. Avoid your soda, your coffee and your tea, and even some type of chocolates happen to have caffeine, so to be careful with that one. You also want to make sure you’re not taking in too many spicy foods that can cause heartburn, or too many processed or heavy carbs before you go to bed. Another thing to watch out for is making sure you don’t drink too much water, so that you’re not constantly waking up or getting out of bed throughout the night to use the restroom.
Last up on the countdown is mood. One of the most important things to do to get your brain and body ready for sleep is setting the mood, whatever that means to you. If that means just sitting down, closing your eyes and breathing, meditating, stretching, taking a warm shower, taking a warm bath, reading a book, whatever it may be to just get your body slowing down, starting to relax so that way it’s a lot easier for you to go to sleep. Our brain and our bodies thrive off a routine. Start setting one on a daily basis and you’ll find that it starts to naturally decrease your stress levels and helps prepare you for a deeper and better state of sleep.
Thanks for watching. I’m ready to get a great night’s sleep and I hope you are too. Don’t forget to like this video, comment below, and subscribe. Make sure you sleep well and I’ll see you next time.
