{"id":93202,"date":"2024-07-16T11:44:13","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T11:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=93202"},"modified":"2024-07-16T11:44:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T11:44:13","slug":"the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night’s Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sleep-woman-dream-bed\"<\/p>\n

We know very well the reasons why we don’t sleep well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Packed schedules, daily marathons to reach the office, running like Usain Bolt to not miss the train, juggling work-family-social life-appointments: by the end of the day, fatigue is always present, but despite everything, it is often difficult to fall asleep. We toss and turn under the covers and wake up continuously.<\/p>\n

Result? When the alarm rings, we think, “No, it’s not possible, I just went to bed,”<\/em> and – inevitably – we get up more tired than before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What if our poor eating and behavioral habits are ruining our rest?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few people realize that what we eat for dinner and what we do before going to bed influence the duration and quality of sleep.<\/p>\n

Here, then, are the rules to follow to fall asleep quickly and sleep well.<\/p>\n

\"GettyImages-sleep-alarm\"<\/p>\n

To sleep well, do not fast or overeat<\/h2>\n

“Melius est abundare quam deficere,”<\/em> said the Latins, thinking that abundance was always better than moderation.<\/p>\n

No way, in this case, we have to contradict our ancestors: those who suffer from insomnia cannot afford to eat as if the end of the world is imminent.<\/p>\n

If you overdo the quantities,<\/strong> in fact, you risk sleeping poorly<\/strong> and little<\/strong> due to slow and bad digestion.<\/p>\n

The same fate for those who, on the contrary, decide to fast and skip the evening meal: on an empty stomach, it is difficult to fall asleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only that<\/em>: at night, you can wake up starving, with cramps and growls.<\/p>\n

What not to eat before going to bed<\/h2>\n

Those who have trouble falling asleep or have disturbed sleep should avoid consuming, during dinner, the quintessential stimulating foods such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate,<\/strong> which activate the wake centers and prevent, in those already predisposed, from sleeping peacefully.<\/p>\n

To avoid slowing down digestion, which is often the primary cause of sleep disorders, stay away from animal fats<\/strong> (firstly red meat), salty foods (such as chips), and industrial dishes (ready-made sauces, bouillon cubes, snacks, microwave lasagna).<\/p>\n

To digest these foods, the gastrointestinal tract must work harder and for a long time, often interfering with nighttime rest.<\/p>\n

Don’t go to bed if digestion is ongoing<\/h2>\n

You eat, load the dishwasher, and jump into bed in no time, overwhelmed by fatigue. Nothing could be more wrong!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you like to dine early?<\/em> You are right! Dining late is not a good idea.<\/p>\n

Why Late-Night Eating Disrupts Your Sleep<\/a><\/p>\n

From when you get up from the table to when you slip under the covers, at least three hours should pass:<\/strong> this way, digestion has all the necessary time to work correctly without creating hitches or ruining sleep.<\/p>\n

You should also try to be as regular as possible<\/strong>: the ideal would be to respect the time you go to sleep and the time you wake up in the morning, weekends included (at most, you can deviate by a few hours).<\/p>\n

This way, you teach your body the right rhythm,<\/strong> tailored to your needs, to ensure that rest is linear and constant.<\/p>\n

\"GettyImages-sleep-couch-woman\"<\/p>\n

If you want to sleep well, fill up on tryptophan at dinner<\/h2>\n

Generally, at dinner, it is thought better to limit carbohydrates to avoid risking a larger waistline.<\/p>\n

However, those who suffer from sleep disorders can try to incorporate pasta, rice, bread, and barley<\/strong> into their evening diet, at least 2\u20133 times a week.<\/p>\n

What is so important about these foods? Tryptophan, a substance that activates the production of serotonin<\/strong>, the hormone that promotes muscle relaxation, stimulates psycho-physical well-being, and improves sleep quality.<\/p>\n

Disconnect your brain<\/h2>\n

One last look at emails, a quick message on WhatsApp, a visit to Instagram: when in bed, before turning off the light, the temptation to fiddle with the smartphone is always very strong and often hard to resist.<\/p>\n

Wrong, very wrong.<\/strong> Using electronic devices excessively stimulates our cognitive functions<\/strong>, keeping the brain active even when we are about to sleep.<\/p>\n

The bright screens of tablets, PCs, and cell phones also play a dirty trick because they delay the secretion of some substances, like melatonin, which are essential for falling asleep.<\/p>\n

The ideal would be to disconnect from the world at least 2\u20133 hours<\/strong> before going to bed so that brain activities are not continuously stimulated and have the chance to slow down their rhythm.<\/p>\n

Horror movies? No, thank you!<\/h2>\n

Avoid watching Dario Argento movies, creepy clowns, and haunted houses. If sleep is disturbed, full of interruptions and half-sleep states, these scary, stressful, and exciting programs excessively stimulate brain functions and affect the quality of rest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In short, more comedies for everyone!<\/em><\/p>\n

Green light to sedative herbal teas<\/h2>\n

You can knock out insomnia, even with remedies that nature provides.<\/p>\n

When the disorder is mild and temporary, you can opt for chamomile<\/strong>, whose classic bags can be bought at the supermarket or the characteristic white and yellow flowers in herbal stores to prepare an infusion. Note: for it to be effective, the drink must be hot, not warm.<\/em><\/p>\n

Valerian<\/strong><\/em>, an extremely relaxing plant,<\/strong> is even more potent than chamomile and can be helpful when insomnia is associated with anxiety.<\/p>\n

The infusion can be prepared with convenient bags or with the dried root (found in herbal stores). The only contraindication: never take it with alcoholic beverages.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, passionflower<\/strong> is also an excellent ally for sleep<\/strong> thanks to its relaxing properties. In herbal stores, you can buy the leaves to prepare a hot infusion to drink shortly before going to bed.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on Grazia.it – Author: Chiara Caretoni<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42690,"featured_media":93205,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[8055,8054,6939,38,16,2723],"yoast_head":"\nThe 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night's Sleep - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover our practical tips for better sleep and say goodbye to dark circles. Learn how diet and habits affect your rest.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night's Sleep\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover our practical tips for better sleep and say goodbye to dark circles. Learn how diet and habits affect your rest.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/07\/sleep-woman-dream-bed.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"567\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/\",\"name\":\"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night's Sleep - Grazia USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-16T11:44:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-16T11:44:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover our practical tips for better sleep and say goodbye to dark circles. Learn how diet and habits affect your rest.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night’s Sleep\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Grazia USA\",\"description\":\"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night's Sleep - Grazia USA","description":"Discover our practical tips for better sleep and say goodbye to dark circles. Learn how diet and habits affect your rest.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night's Sleep","og_description":"Discover our practical tips for better sleep and say goodbye to dark circles. Learn how diet and habits affect your rest.","og_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/","og_site_name":"Grazia USA","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":567,"url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/07\/sleep-woman-dream-bed.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/","name":"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night's Sleep - Grazia USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-07-16T11:44:13+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-16T11:44:13+00:00","description":"Discover our practical tips for better sleep and say goodbye to dark circles. Learn how diet and habits affect your rest.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-7-golden-rules-for-a-good-night-sleep\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 7 Golden Rules for a Good Night’s Sleep"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/","name":"Grazia USA","description":"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Grazia USA","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/93202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}