Are Your Eating Habits Supporting Your Sleep?

What do you think of when you think about nutrition and sleep?

→ for a lot of people, supplements are the first thing to come to mind (melatonin, magnesium, etc.)

The reality is, one of the most undervalued ways for endurance athletes to support their sleep is actually eating enough!

Yes, that’s right. Under fueling is a common culprit of poor sleep quality, and for a variety of reasons.

An under fueled athlete may experience:

• Difficulty falling asleep (from physical hunger to feeling ‘wired’)

• Difficulty staying asleep

  • Dips in blood sugar while your body uses stored energy for recovery processes may be contributing to your restless sleep

• Waking up tired or groggy

Food is fuel after all! If you’re under fueling, your body doesn’t have enough energy to function at its best.

Sleep is the time that your body does a lot of work for recovery from your workouts! Your body needs energy during sleep to repair muscles, regulate hormones, and recover from training.

How can you adjust your fueling to support quality sleep?

• Eating every 2-4 hours is a step in the right direction to ensure you are eating enough throughout the day.

• Have a balanced evening snack. We’re anti “don’t eat past Xpm” over here! Having a balanced snack between dinner and bedtime can help keep your blood sugar stable while sleeping, and provide additional nutrients for recovery.

  • consider pairing carbs with protein and/or fat in your evening snack, such as in this chocolate chip mug pancake or these PB&J energy bites

• Be mindful of caffeine. Caffeine can suppress your appetite, contributing to under fueling. It can also impact your circadian rhythm.

  • Everyone responds to caffeine a little bit differently. Be mindful of your tolerance and set a cutoff time for yourself to stop drinking caffeine too soon before bed.

• Track your symptoms! If you’re noticing something doesn’t feel right, start tracking your symptoms so you (maybe with the support of a provider) can get to the bottom of it.

If you're struggling with fatigue or poor sleep quality, you may benefit from a more personalized approach to nutrition. Schedule a free discovery call to learn more about how we can work together to get you feeling your best!