By : Komal Thakur (B.Pharm, Diploma in Naturopathy, Specialist in Clinical Dietetics)

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Restore your calm with Protein

Calmness is a state of Mind. – Popular Opinion

Calmness is a physical state which in turn manifests the state of mind. –   Unpopular opinion

Let’s just make peace with the fact that it’s a combination of both. How many of you get the perfect night’s sleep? If you are raising your hand right now to this question, please tell us in comments how did you achieve that, because 90% of others reading this did not raise their hands and could use some help. Sleep is something that we all need and crave for. Somedays all I want to do is just sleep and it will be that day when I would end up twisting and turning on the bed and have a very sleepless night. Happens to the best of us!

Tons of articles and lots of suggestions are widely available on YouTube and all over the internet on how to get a good night’s sleep. Not to forget the melatonin pills and other supplements which claim to help you out with that. In severe cases on insomnia even sleeping pills which are highly dependance inducing drugs are prescribed. These things often end up treating the symptoms but the cause is left untreated. Insomnia is to be taken very seriously because sleep is an essential need. Your body goes into a restoration mode when you are sleeping. All the cells are being replenished with everything that you have consumed throughout the day. Ever wonder why your face glows up after a good nights sleep? Well restoration is the reason. On the other hand, if you consistently do not sleep well even for a couple of days, your face can really start to freak you out. Acne and pimples will find their way pretty instantly. Hope they would disappear also that instantly, but the world is not fair. Similarly if you do not sleep well your whole body functioning can get disrupted and an instant hormonal imbalance can create a havoc inside you.

Your pathway to achieving the state of calm:

Step 1: Analyze your sleep pattern and try to understand what is causing the unrest. It can be a temporary state or it can lead to chronic insomnia. Is your reason of not getting sleep related to your mental activity or the reason is physiological. Anxiety and stress can lead to sleepless nights. At the same time, not having a correct diet, over exertion, some kind of physical pain, triggers like acidity, heart burns, hormonal imbalances can also lead to disrupted sleep. The cause could also be very specific like consuming a certain trigger food. Did you end up taking too much caffeine before bed time, was your diet throughout the day full of complex carbohydrates, etc.? Hyperactivity could be another reason too, contrary to what we believe. If you over exert your body it can stay in a hyperactive mode and you may end up feeling restless.

Step 2: Once you have identified your trigger get the appropriate treatment. If its related to stress and anxiety and it’s not chronic, you may try practicing yoga and meditation. If it’s a long term pattern, therapy can certainly help you. If your diet is causing you harm, really focus on it and eliminate the fatty fried foods, diminish your sugar and caffeine consumption. Switch to healthier sleep promoting things like green teas with jasmine and chamomile which are known to be calming agents. Even rosemary tea can help you stay calm. If its related to a physical pain, you can try and heal it naturally by drinking turmeric tea before bedtime. Moderate exercise can help you balance your hormones and promote healthy sleep too.

Step 3: Correcting your diet permanently. Macro nutrients like Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are necessary. You cannot consume the same amounts of carbohydrates and sugars every day and expect your body to remain healthy. Keeping your diet in check is not just necessary for your body but also your mind, your brain. It’s a proven fact that a diet rich in carbohydrates, fats and even complex proteins can give you an unrelaxed sleep. Especially before bed time try and avoid fats and complex carbohydrates because it takes a good amount of energy to digest those and your body remains in a restless state. Incorporating a healthy dose of protein in your diet before bed can help with a good night’s sleep. Proteins have amino acids which are building blocks of your cells. These amino acids help in restoration which happens when you sleep and a boost of protein can make this easy. Lean proteins like salmon, green vegetables, etc., are high in tryptophan which helps increase the serotonin levels and maintains the sleep cycle. So go Protein all the way for dinner.

If you want to snack before bed a banana or a few nuts can be a good option. They give you the good boost of the needed proteins. Even a small cup of warm milk with turmeric can be good. If you crave for the quick and yummy, GRD Superior Protein biscuits are available in both sweet and savory forms and what’s even better is they have the no added sugar variants too. You can also choose to add a small scoop of GRD Sugarfree powder to a warm cup of milk before bedtime and see for yourself. You will wake up feeling refreshed and restored and ready to go!