Mindfulness and Adequate Sleep May Reduce Exhaustion At Work: 4 Sleep-Inducing Foods

Is your work taking a toll on your health and personal life? It is perhaps time to re-look your packed schedule and take some time off for yourself.  Adequate sleep and mindfulness exercises such as meditation can help you feel less stressed and rejuvenate you from within, says a latest study published in the Journal of Business Venturing.

Entrepreneurs who have been working round the clock can especially benefit from mindfulness exercises and getting ample sleep through the day, the study revealed. Fatigue may result in reduced productivity, which is why it is a good idea to replenish yourself time to time. 

"You can't replace sleep with mindfulness exercises but they might help compensate and provide a degree of relief," said lead researcher, Charles Murnieks, Assistant Professor from the Oregon State University in the US.

"As little as 70 minutes a week, or 10 minutes a day of mindfulness practice may have the same benefits as an extra 44 minutes of sleep a night," said Murnieks.

The team analysed 105 entrepreneurs who were asked about their exhaustion levels, whether they engaged in mindfulness practices. If so, how often and for how long. The participants were also asked about the number of hours they slept each night.

The data revealed that more than 40 per cent of the participants reported working 50 hours per week or more on average and were sleeping less than 6 hours a night. The entrepreneurs who slept more, or who engaged in the highest levels of mindfulness exercises, reported lower levels of exhaustion, noted the researchers. 

The second study consisting of 329 entrepreneurs, also confirmed the findings of the initial study that mindfulness can combat feelings of exhaustion.

It must be noted that in both the studies, the team found that mindfulness exercises are less helpful if you are getting adequate sleep but still feeling exhausted. 

"If you're feeling stressed and not sleeping, you can compensate with mindfulness exercises to a point. But when you're not low on sleep, mindfulness doesn't improve those feelings of exhaustion," said Murnieks. 

The study was observational in nature. The scientists said that more research is required to better understand how mindfulness exercises may help entrepreneurs and also understand the limits of those beneficial effects.

Sleep-Inducing Foods

Your diet is a crucial component of your sleep-wake cycle. Eating too close to bedtime, eating something sugary before sleep or eating something greasy and spicy may disrupt your sleep. It is a good idea to eat clean and light especially at night. There are some foods that could naturally promote better sleep too.

Here are some sleep-inducing foods you may want to add to your diet.

1. Milk: Milk is enriched with amino acid tryptophan, which plays a significant role in synthesis of serotonin, which has soothing effect in nerves that in turn may help you catch some shut eye.

2. Almonds: In addition to boosting your brain power, munching on almonds may also help you have a sound sleep due to its high tryptophan content. You can tuck into them raw or blend some with your glass of milk.

3. Bananas: Bananas too are a good source of tryptophan. But besides that, they are also packed with healthy carb content which is effective in inducing sleep too.

4. Cherries: Cherries are a good source of melatonin, which regulates our sleep-wake cycle. Make sure you do not have more than 10-12 in a day.

(With Inputs From IANS)