Nutrition for Better Sleep

Athletes are often keyed-in on their level of performance and proactive in their improvement. Sleep is a key aspect of performance improvement as it is when your body adapts and recovers. Poor sleep is associated with impaired injury recovery, decreased immune function, and increased risk of chronic disease. Unfortunately, about 65% of athletes struggle with getting enough quality sleep. Some of that could be due to traveling with their sport, having evening practices, utilizing performance supplements or other lifestyle factors that inhibit good sleep hygiene for athletes. 

With all the factors that can interfere with an athlete’s ability to have good sleep hygiene, it is especially important for them to utilize nutrition to support their sleep. There are many beneficial nutrients to add into the athlete’s routine, but there are also a few that are better left out or reduced. As beneficial as caffeine can be for performance enhancement it would behoove an athlete to not consume any past noon, since caffeine can remain active in the body for 4-6 hours. It is also beneficial for an athlete to eliminate alcohol consumption in the evening, as it inhibits quality sleep.

Poor sleep has been found to be associated with an imbalanced diet and too little of certain vitamins and minerals. Here’s some suggestions for different sleep struggles:

If you have a hard time staying asleep, you could need more tryptophan, Vitamin B1, folate phosphorous, magnesium, iron, zinc, or selenium in your diet. Try adding into your daily routine:

  • fiber-rich foods

  • green leafy vegetables

  • legumes

  • nuts

  • seeds

  • fruits 

  • whole grains 

If you have a hard time getting to sleep, you made need more tryptophan, calcium, selenium, or alpha carotene. Try adding to your daily routine:

  • dairy

  • fortified juices

  • plant-based milks

  • canned sardine or salmon (with bones)

  • winter squash

  • almonds

  • leafy greens

  • chia 

  • hemp hearts

In general sleep quality and your body’s regulation of sleep will benefit from a balanced diet (not restricting fats, carbs or protein, but not going over recommendations of any either) with regular mealtimes, and consistent intake of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Omega-3, folate, and zinc. These nutrients can be found in 

  • fatty fish

  • fortified milks 

  • cottage cheese 

  • citrus fruits

  • red and green peppers 

  • kiwifruit

  • whole grains 

  • bananas 

  • eggs

  • avocado

  • chickpeas 

  • potatoes

  • sweet potatoes 

  • pistachios 

  • spinach 

  • cashews 

  • yogurt 

  • beans

  • chicken 

  • beef

  • asparagus

  • broccoli

  • brussels sprouts

A final touch to all these foods is adding in consistent probiotic consumption to support recovery and synthesis of melatonin. You can do this by incorporating these foods into your day:

  • cottage cheese 

  • yogurt 

  • kimchi

  • pickled red onions 

  • sauerkraut 

  • kombucha 

  • tempeh 

  • nutritional 

There are many aspects of being an athlete that naturally work against achieving good sleep hygiene, however, it is essential that athletes are intentional about doing what they can to support their sleep quality. Scheduling can be out of their control, so supporting their sleep with their daily nutrition is a fantastic option. Having a balanced diet with the recommended amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats is the foundation of quality sleep. Finding ways to incorporate the foods listed above will support proper melatonin synthesis, serotonin synthesis, circadian rhythm maintenance and help an athlete achieve high quality sleep for recovery, increased immune system function, and performance.

inc mo