Apart from Muscle Protein, these Foods May be Causing Various Sleep Disorders

Poor sleep can affect the ability to perform and be hazardous for overall health in the long run. It is often believed that the brain controls all the aspects of sleep, but a new research published in the Journal eLife shows that a protein in the muscle can lessen the effects of sleep loss. These findings give scientists a new target besides the brain to develop therapies for people with excessive sleepiness.

This study was carried out on mice. The research demonstrated how a circadian clock protein in the muscle- BMAL1- regulates the length and manner of sleep. "This finding is completely unexpected and changes the ways we think sleep is controlled," said Joseph Takahashi, Chairman of Neuroscience at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the US. In addition, removing BMAL1 from the muscle severely disrupted normal sleep, leading to an increased need for sleep, deeper sleep, and a reduced ability to recover. While the protein's presence or absence in the brain had little effect on sleep recovery, mice with higher levels of BMAL1 in their muscles recovered from sleep deprivation more quickly.

"These studies show that factors in muscles can signal to the brain to influence sleep. If similar pathways exist in people, this would provide new drug targets for the treatment of sleep disorders," Takahashi said.While the various mechanisms play a major role in controlling your sleep-wake cycle, the food you eat can also affect it. Here are some foods that may be robbing away your sleep.

1. Desserts

The digestion process slows down at night and therefore, eating high fat and sugary food late at night may not get enough time to digest easily. Ice-cream contains a lot of fat and sugar which cannot burn easily and may leave you restless.

2. Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains caffeine that can may charge your up instead of calming down your brain and leave you restless all night.

3. Cheese

Cheese is a source of tyramine that stimulates the brain and can keep you up all night. Try avoiding Parmesan, Cheddar and Gouda cheese to avoid sleeplessness.

4. Protein diet

Avoid consuming too protein-rich foods for dinner as they can leave you energised instead of making you sleep better. Also, proteins require much longer to digest and you may be left tossing and turning in bed.

5. Spicy foods

Foods like mustard and chilies can raise the temperature of your body and disturb your sleep. They can cause acid reflux that can leave you restless. Avoid garlic and other spicy foods to sleep well.

Inputs from IANS