Sleep and nutrition

08/01/24

HOW TO IMPROVE SLEEP THROUGH NUTRITION

Although its true function remains unclear, sleep is considered crucial for physiological and cognitive activities. Sleep deprivation can have significant negative effects on an athlete's performance, especially in high-intensity, sub-maximal and endurance exercise.
Not to mention that an all-nighter can negatively affect mood, learning, memory, cognition, pain perception, immunity and inflammation.

All of these factors can ultimately reduce an athlete's nutritional, metabolic and hormonal status and thus potentially reduce physical and mental health.
Although the literature is inconclusive on how sleep can actually produce alterations in athletic performance, it should be emphasised that a more even distribution of sleep hours reduces the negative effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the immune system.
A typical night's sleep consists of cycles of approximately 90 minutes divided into periods of rapid movement sleep (REM; associated with dreams) and non-REM sleep (NREM) (1). It appears that NREM sleep promotes energy conservation and recovery of the nervous system. 
For example, it is during this sleep phase that the somatotropic hormone GH is secreted, which plays a very essential role in muscle repair and lipolysis.
In addition to this, memory recovery occurs during the sleep phase. For example, several studies have shown improvements in tests of reactivity and recognition of motor patterns after a night of qualitative sleep, whereas this was not the case in subjects who had disturbed sleep or light sleepiness (2)

right amount of sleep

The right amount of sleep recommended is at least 7 hours per night, which translates into a range of 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night, but it is quite difficult to achieve this amount of sleep for the majority of the adult population; it is easier for children under 14 years of age but gradually becomes more and more difficult once they enter the adult phase.
However, numerous studies have shown (and practice in the field confirms this) that the amount of sleep may not always be qualitative and high for athletes. In pre-competitions, it is common to reach states of anxiety and restlessness that cause alterations in circadian rhythms and an increase in glucortocoids such as cortisol and aldosterone.
Hormonal imbalances induced by an athlete's emotional state not only affect sleep, but directly affect performance on the day of competition.
Athletes who sleep around 6 hours a night initially manifest sympathetic dominant activity with permanent high performance; the problem is seen in the medium to long term where a drop in performance and difficulty in muscular and psychological recovery between training sessions is evident.

SOME NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES USEFUL IN RECONCILING SLEEP:

1) Care for nutritional timing and caloric quantity in the evening meal: a low-calorie diet induces a worsening of the resting state. For this reason, it is useful in conditions of calorie restriction to encourage sleep with a higher amount of calories and carbohydrates in the last evening meal, taking care not to go to bed after 30' from the last meal.
Be careful not to overdo it with calories, however: an excessive calorie meal can have the opposite effect! Carbohydrates such as rice, oats, bread, bananas and vegetables such as endive, cabbage, asparagus and mushrooms contain an excellent amount of tryptophan (amino acid precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin) and thus promote circadian sleep activity through the production of the hormone melatonin. Other useful foods of a protein and lipid nature are milk and its derivatives, legumes, eggs, white meat, chocolate and oily nuts. Remember that the enterocromaffin cells of the intestine are capable of autonomously producing serotonin following the digestion and absorption of nutrients. This means that a higher amount of calories in an evening meal helps the production of serotonin by the gut, improving the chances of going to bed.

2) The usefulness of Vitamin B: tryptophan requires B vitamins in order to become the precursor of serotonin. Rich foods such as fish, milk and dairy products, cereals, broccoli and lettuce are essential.

3) Magnesium: magnesium is a mineral that plays a key role in reducing tiredness and fatigue in times of high stress. A diet rich in magnesium (fish, oily nuts, pumpkin seeds, legumes) may not necessitate its supplementation. In the event of unavailability from the diet, magnesium supplementation mixed with zinc or calcium can ensure restoration of physiological neuro-muscular activity and ensure proper performance recovery. Take care to use highly bioavailable sources of magnesium such as citrate or bisglycinate.

4) Antioxidant power: antioxidants perform an important soothing function against oxygen free radicals. One example is phosphatidylserine, an important phospholipid that contributes to the fluidity of the cell membrane and prevents pro-oxidants from penetrating the barrier and entering the cytoplasm, causing countless damage to the mitochondria and DNA. Its supplementation in the hours before sleep can be helpful in limiting stressogenic events.

5) Adequate water intake contributes to cellular hydration, promoting recovery of the nervous system and keeping the plasma fluid. This is essential for maintaining high blood pressure, promoting better capillary circulation with subsequent transport of nutrients to peripheral tissues (including muscles).

Dott. Nicola Frisoni
Laureato in Scienze Motorie sportive e della salute
Laureando in Scienze della Nutrizione Umana
Preparatore Atletico di Natural Bodybuilding