Listen…you’re not alone if you’re asking yourself, “What the heck does digestion have to do with sleep?!” My clients are also shocked to hear how big of a role digestion plays in sleep health. It may be one of the missing pieces to your sleep quality. Let’s get right to it!
1. If the stomach does not have enough stomach acid, then protein breakdown is impacted.
Without adequate stomach acid, the stomach just can not fully break protein down into its usable pieces of amino acids. Amino acids are incredibly important for sleep because they are the pre-cursors to melatonin, our primary sleep hormone. The cascade looks like this: Protein (food) > Tryptophan (amino acid) > 5-HTP (amino acid) > Serotonin (neurotransmitter) > Melatonin (hormone). We could eat all the foods high in tryptophan, but if we’re struggling to break down those foods, then we’re not getting the full benefit.
2. When the small intestine is inflamed, it can impact absorption of amino acids, as well as other minerals, vitamins, and nutrients.
Inflammation in the small intestine can lead to a decrease in the absorption of amino acids. After our stomach “churns and burns” our food, it then passes into the small intestine. The small intestines job is to absorb the broken down pieces of our food, like the amino acids that are created from the breakdown of dietary protein. Working on the health of the small intestine can be a process and one that is generally best to do with a practitioner, there are a couple things you can do to improve your digestion!
Now maybe you’re like me and don’t have any digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, or constipation or your sleep is ok. It doesn’t matter, we can all improve our digestion with these tips!
Mindful Eating
This is always a top recommendation for my clients, no matter the symptoms or health concerns we’re working on. Digestion starts in the brain, so we always want to incorporate mindful eating techniques. This tells the organs of digestion to get ready to work. Try the following mindful eating techniques out and see which ones work for you! You’re not going to like all of them and that’s ok. Personally, I like doing the 3 deep breaths and setting my utensil down every 2-3 bites.
Take 3 deep breaths before your first bite - exhalation needs to be longer than inhalation
Don’t eat anything before you’re seated
Make an observation about your food (smell, color, etc)
Say something you’re grateful for before your first bite
Set your food or utensil down in between bites
Chew Your Food
This one is pretty self explanatory, but you would be surprised at how many people chew their food 3x and then swallow. Chewing is incredibly important because it’s the first place that food breakdown happens. The more it happens in the mouth, the less work the stomach has to do. Additionally, large food particles can also be a stressor to the small intestine, leading to increased inflammation.
This one can be quite the transition, so go slow! Start by just noticing how many times you’re chewing before swallowing. Are you drinking a lot of liquid with meals to help wash the food down because you’re not chewing it enough? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Once you have a baseline, start by increasing how many times you’re chewing by 3-5. The goal is to have your food be the consistency of applesauce before you swallow.
As always, let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
Interested in taking the next step to improve your sleep? Learn more about my online class, “Intro to Kick Ass Sleep”!