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The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

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Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#21
post #10
post #2

Also when you eat. I recently started doing time restricted eating (16/8) which means I stop eating around 5pm at the latest on a week day. I sleep soooo much better than I used to. I'm not sure if it's a comfort thing, or perhaps some kind of hormonal/neuochemical response, but it really seems to have worked for me. Specifically I fall asleep much quicker than I used to. I used to listen to podcasts to help me doze…

What time do you go to bed? I might want to try this but I also still like being a nightowl who goes to sleep at 1 or 2am

Nice thing about IMF is that you can keep your "nightowl" schedule. Using the more lax version of 16/8 (8 hour feeding window), you could use a feeding window of 2pm-10pm. I had a similar schedule back when I was a night owl but the wife didn't like it much. I've since moved to 18/6 with a feeding window of 12pm-6pm. I did it mostly for weight and fitness but absolutely noticed the sleep benefits, which I initially attributed to exercise.

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#22

This is pretty much what Hindu Ayurveda says, when you eat and what you eat For too long we have just been told calories are calories and equatable amongst foods

> For too long we have just been told calories are calories and equatable amongst foods We have? I only recall 'calories are calories' being advised when it comes to losing weight.

Healthy eating requires insulin to drop. Eating all your calories within a short time allows this drop to occur. The same calories spread over a day and into the night keep your insulin levels up and this is not what our bodies like, long term. I was a skeptic of Dr Ekberg and the other holisitic doc's, but I needed to try something, and boy oh boy are they on to something. It's only a matter of time before constant snacking is viewed as dangerous to your long-term health as smoking.

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#23
post #2

Also when you eat. I recently started doing time restricted eating (16/8) which means I stop eating around 5pm at the latest on a week day. I sleep soooo much better than I used to. I'm not sure if it's a comfort thing, or perhaps some kind of hormonal/neuochemical response, but it really seems to have worked for me. Specifically I fall asleep much quicker than I used to. I used to listen to podcasts to help me doze…

I tried two meals a day, found it easy, went to one meal a day (always a big deal at my house anyway - all sitting around dinner table, lots of talking, dessert, coffee etc). Anywho, I was hoping to lose a bit of weight and instead lost a lot of weight, and sleep better than I have since I was a teenager (a long time ago now). Amazing results. And I still get to eat pizza, ice-cream, everything...

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For too long we have just been told calories are calories and equatable amongst foods We have? I only recall 'calories are calories' being advised when it comes to losing weight.

Healthy eating requires insulin to drop. Eating all your calories within a short time allows this drop to occur. The same calories spread over a day and into the night keep your insulin levels up and this is not what our bodies like, long term. I was a skeptic of Dr Ekberg and the other holisitic doc's, but I needed to try something, and boy oh boy are they on to something. It's only a matter of time before constant…

Why is a drop in insulin desirable?

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Healthy eating requires insulin to drop. Eating all your calories within a short time allows this drop to occur. The same calories spread over a day and into the night keep your insulin levels up and this is not what our bodies like, long term. I was a skeptic of Dr Ekberg and the other holisitic doc's, but I needed to try something, and boy oh boy are they on to something. It's only a matter of time before constant…

Why is a drop in insulin desirable?

I’m just guessing but type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance- your cells don’t respond and pull in glucose correctly so not having insulin in your blood all the time might help keep sensitivity high.

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#27
post #26

I can't believe how many people commenting are resorting to crazy eating schedules and skipping meals. Surely a healthier diet, regular exercise, not too much caffeine, booze etc is a healthier way to lose weight and sleep better.

Why is fasting "surely" unhealthy? It's just unconventional relative to modern Western cultural norms.

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#28
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do that in addition to all the sleep hygiene things. No screens before going to bed, only using the bed to sleep, etc.

I'm always hungry just before bed. If I don't eat then I wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Any tips how to deal with that?

Carbs.

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#29
post #10
post #2

Also when you eat. I recently started doing time restricted eating (16/8) which means I stop eating around 5pm at the latest on a week day. I sleep soooo much better than I used to. I'm not sure if it's a comfort thing, or perhaps some kind of hormonal/neuochemical response, but it really seems to have worked for me. Specifically I fall asleep much quicker than I used to. I used to listen to podcasts to help me doze…

What time do you go to bed? I might want to try this but I also still like being a nightowl who goes to sleep at 1 or 2am

I'm definitely a night owl who sleeps around that time (usually around 1-2am but sometimes even later) and IF with an eight hour eating window between 12pm-8pm is really easy to do.

I usually start eating around 12:30pm and finish eating around 7pm but to me the occasional dinner that goes until 9pm is not a big deal. You get used to it after a few weeks. In fact it feels really weird to eat before sleep once you get used to IF.

Re: The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep

#30
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

definitely breakfast. I can make it until noon on only water and a couple cups of black coffee with ease.

My approach as well, sometimes snack at 11. Easy to do when I'm home, harder to do when I'm traveling, staying with friends, etc.

Exact same. Never eat before 11-12
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