Did you know that sport in the evening, dark chocolate and even too much sleep have a negative effect on your sleeping behavior and your sleep?
Dark chocolate
One component of chocolate is the amino-acid tryptophan. Tryptophan has a soothing effect. Therefore, a piece of chocolate is especially suited for nibbling before going to bed. But, be careful, especially with dark chocolate! Dark chocolate contains the alkaloid theobromine. Theobromine is the main component of a cacao bean – it has a stimulating effect on our nervous system and enlarges blood vessels, similar to caffeine and teina (active substance in green- and black-tea). When you are reacting sensitively to this component, nibbling dark chocolate might definitely lead to fall asleep and sleeping through disturbances. Just to compare: one 100 g bar of dark chocolate and a cacao content of 85 % contains 150 milligrams theobromine. A 100 g bar of milk chocolate on the other hand only contains about 15 milligramms.
Sport
Doing sports has many positive effects: frequent exercise favors a healthy and restful sleep and cares for stress reduction. But be cautious! Stimulating sport like strenuous strength training as well as endurance sport like jogging are stimulating and therefore best avoided two hours before going to sleep. You will feel exhausted after doing sport but your circulation, muscles and metabolism still are active – the body won’t be able to come to a rest. Soft gymnastic or a nice walk before going to sleep supports a relaxed going to bed.
Too much sleep
Too much sleep, too, might negatively affect sleeping quality. Do you exceed your optimal sleep duration frequently it might lead to disturbances to fall asleep and to sleep through. The following day you will neither feel fit nor well rested. The sleep need varies depending on age, disposition and life situation. On an average, younger adults need about seven to nine hours sleep, people 60+ often only about six hours.
Too much sleep and lack of exercise might cause restlessness which in turn possibly might lead to disturbances to fall asleep, longer phases of wakefulness in the night as well as to waking up too early in the morning. Therefore it is advisable to only sleep when you really are tired and – if necessary – do without a nap.
To achieve a restful sleep it is good to only go to bed when you are tired. Furthermore pay attention to a regular sleep-wake-cycle.
Learn more about the secret robber “electromagnetic pollution” in part #3
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