Special appearance by Jackie

Around 35% of Americans aren’t getting their recommended seven hours of sleep a night, according to the CDC – and this can have serious effects on their heart health, weight, and risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that a plant-based lifestyle is an excellent nutritional approach to good sleep. Since it’s less taxing on the digestive system, it fosters comfortable sleep and less waking during the night. Indeed, Veganism can be seen as part of a holistic approach to sleep; one which takes into account the inexorable link between the physical and mental.

How to sleep better at night: Vegan diet and digestion

When you feed your body heavy foods like meat at night, the result can be bloating and discomfort, which may lead to tossing and turning, and even waking to go to the bathroom. Because vegan diets are so high in fiber-rich foods, they enable you to be more regular and to avoid frequent night visits to the bathroom. Good sleep does not only involve quantity, but quality. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, to have a truly good night’s sleep, you should not wake up more than once during the night. If you do, it means you aren’t making your way through all the vital sleep cycles – including the vital stage of deep sleep.

How to sleep better at night: a Vegan approach to oral health

Digestive comfort is only one piece of a complex puzzle when it comes to good sleep. Let’s take a part of your body you may not have associated with the quality of your sleep – your teeth. Your oral health has a big impact on whether or not you feel rested and refreshed when you wake up in the morning. For instance, if you have bite problems, tooth grinding can result – which can lead to a poor night’s sleep, as well as facial pain when you wake up in the morning. If you have decay, meanwhile, pain can interfere with your ability to fall or stay asleep. As a vegan, it is important to feed your body the nutrients it needs to enjoy good oral health. Thus, you should ensure you are getting enough Vitamin B12, amino acids, minerals, calcium, etc. Orthodontics for tooth grinding, meanwhile, can help prevent tooth and jaw problems, and prevent decay by ensuring teeth are correctly positioned and not too close together.

How to sleep better at night: being active

Daily exercise can help you feel sleepier at night, so make exercise a party of your daily routine if you can. Consume alkaline-rich foods to recover post workout and remember to stock up on healthy proteins (found in spinach, quinoa, tofu, lentils, beans, etc.) to help with muscle building. Because some vegans can be low in creatine (which is used by the body during exercise as an energy source), consider short bouts of intense exercise as a way to keep creatine-related fatigue at bay. High intensity training can also reduce insulin resistance, which is important for diabetes prevention.

How to sleep better at night: mindfulness matters

Many people embrace the vegan lifestyle precisely because they take an holistic approach to health. If this is your case, then you are probably well aware of the power of meditation, yoga, and holistic exercise forms like Tai Chi, to battle stress. Try to make time for even a short meditation or breathing session a day, as a way to bring the mind ‘into the here and now’ and away from the type of worries that can keep you tossing and turning at night.

Enjoying good sleep involves various steps, including consuming lighter meals at night, staying active, and tackling the stress monster head-on. Remember to enjoy a wide variety of whole vegan foods, so your body has the fuel it needs to carry out even the most energetic workouts. Finally, remember that insomnia often has a mental cause. Keep your mind as healthy as your body by selecting at least one mindful activity that can see you through the toughest of days.

Thank you Jackie for sharing with us another great post!
I hope you’ve all enjoyed these useful tips on how to sleep better at night as much as I did. Now tell us about you, what are some of your favorite tips and hacks for a restful night’s sleep? Let us know in the comment section below.
And don’t forget to pin this post to share the love ♥

I wish you a love-filled day xoxo