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Eating tips for better sleep

Nearly two-thirds of people fail to get the recommended seven and a half to nine hours of sleep every night.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Many people have trouble sleeping, either they can’t fall asleep or they can’t stay asleep. Nearly two-thirds of people fail to get the recommended seven and a half to nine hours of sleep every night. What’s worse is that lack of sleep can increase our risk of many different illnesses. It weakens our immune system, doubles our risk of cancer, and increases our risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity and depression.

Carolyn Suerth Hudson, licensed dietitian with Nutritional Weight & Wellness joined the KARE News at 4 to discuss some ways to adjust food habits at bedtime to get better sleep.

Instead of reaching for the sleeping pills, here are Carolyn's three tips for better sleep:

  • Have a bedtime snack – A real food bedtime snack (apple and peanut butter is a great example) will keep your blood sugars balanced through the night which helps you stay asleep.
  • Cut out certain foods – Decrease or eliminate sugar and highly processed carbohydrate foods. Nutritional Weight & Wellness teaches clients the value of eating a diet of healthy proteins, vegetables and good fats to keep blood sugar stable and you asleep.
  • Up the magnesium – Make sure you are getting enough magnesium in your diet. Foods high in magnesium include grass-fed meats, leafy greens like spinach, nuts and seeds and fish. Magnesium helps lower blood pressure, relax muscles, alleviates muscle cramps and restless leg syndrome and supports quality sleep. If you don’t think you are getting enough from your food try supplementing with 400 – 600 mg of Magnesium Glycinate at bedtime.

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