Have you ever wondered if your sleep habits are effected by your diet? You’re completely correct! We can even go as far to say that your dental health, diet, and sleeping habits are all connected. But how? City Line Dental Center is more than happy to explain how these three aspects of your health intermingle with each other. Furthermore, if you’re having issues with either or several of these aspects of your health, we could potentially help improve them with sleep apnea therapy in Richardson.
Sleep, Diet, and Dental Health
Sleep is vital for our body as well as our mind to function efficiently and effectively. It allows our brains—the machine that keeps our body functioning properly—time to recuperate and reset. That’s vital to your health! When we are sleep deprived, we suffer memory problems, immune system issues, and we experience fatigue and inflammation in the body.
Furthermore, our levels of the important mood and energy regulating hormones are significantly and negatively impacted. Because your brain is so smart, it will try to compensate for the lack of energy and hormones, triggering cravings for specific foods. Typically, these foods tend to be higher in fat and sugar. Additionally, sleep deprivation increases hunger signals to our brain and reduces our ability to feel completely full.
As you can imagine, eating unhealthy foods negatively effects your dental health. Your smile isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to stay strong and durable. Also, the sugar mixes with dental bacteria in your mouth and attacks your teeth and gums. You can begin to notice decaying teeth or even gum disease!
Remember the bottom line!
What we’re really trying to communicate is that eating a healthy, balanced diet can provide your body with the nutrients it needs to sleep well and keep your smile strong. By sleeping well, you can avoid that “2:30 pm feeling” that causes you to crash and burn, searching for unhealthy foods and drinks for a pick-me-up.
Diet Tips to Help You Sleep:
Avoid high fat, heavy foods in the evening
High fat, heavy foods put your digestive system into overdrive as it works to break down and store the food you’ve consumed. When you’re trying to go to bed, your body should also be winding down—not working harder. Eating foods these foods late in the evening can potentially keep you awake with abdominal discomfort throughout the night.
Avoid spicy food in the evening
Spicy food is a common cause of heartburn that can make laying down seem practically impossible. The pain of the acid and inability to lay down can greatly inhibit your ability to fall asleep.
Avoid alcohol before you go to bed
Many patients have a drink or two before bed because alcohol can aide in relaxation and allow you to fall asleep quicker and easier. But studies have shown that alcohol causes you to sleep less deeply and awake more frequently. You may experience night sweats, headaches, or nightmares when consuming alcohol too close to bedtime.
Avoid caffeine and nicotine
Both caffeine and nicotine are stimulants, which means it is their job to stimulate or inhibit sleep. Consuming either substance too close to bedtime may make it difficult get a good night’s rest.
Visit City Line Dental Center
If you’ve tried to improve your diet for you’re the benefit of better sleep and your oral health, but you still don’t seem to feel well rested, you may have a sleeping disorder. Luckily, City Line Dental Center can help you discover if you’re suffering from sleep apnea and we can help you treat it. If you need to schedule an appointment, contact us today.