Sleep is the king of Recovery. When you shut your eyes and pass away to dream state, your body goes to work big time. From Muscle rebuilding to hormone balancing, the body is on a mission for every vital minute so it is important to give it the nutrients and the time it needs to stay in top shape.
Timing out your sleep has definitively been set at an optimal 8 hours per night. Does that happen? Yeah… maybe not. With kids, work, blogging latenight… it all cuts into you time. So first and foremost, try to adjust your schedule to allow for calm and relaxing sleep to begin as the sun goes down.
To aid in your relaxation and sleep cycle to begin I recommend this bedtime snack as a way to make sure you are fueled and calm when you close your eyes.
1) 350-500mg of magnesium.
2) 1200mg of fish oil.
3) 20 g of Casein Protein. (Slow digesting protein that lasts through the night)
4) 1/4 cup blueberries W/ 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt.
The list omits any added sugar for good reason: blood sugar spikes at night time will do the same thing as alcohol to your sleep cycle and contribute to midnight insomnia. Restful sleep that is uninterrupted is the key to recovery. If your hormones and metabolism are racing to adjust then your sleep cycles are inevitably going to be disrupted.
The berries will keep your sweet tooth satisfied without spiking your blood sugar, and the protein will digest slowly so that your muscles and brain recover with needed protein and fat. Get stoked for longer nights with this bedtime snacks and Netflix.
