Simple ways to improve your slumber

The Millennial Mind-set is dead set on achieving it all. A flourishing career, a burgeoning bank account, a thriving social life, an envious figure and me-time are the bare minimum. But having spent all night tossing and turning in bed, this seems farfetched. Worry not, I have the simplest of cures to improve your slumber.

Avoid fatty dinners

Having greasy, fried and fat laden foods at dinner is not only detrimental to your heart but also prevents you from a good night's sleep. Such foods are hard to digest, sending your digestive system into overdrive. Instead, include a small amount of good quality fat like coconut oil and cow's ghee.

Not too spicy

I am a spice lover and a little bit of extra chilli to all my food but I make it a point to go easy on the spices at dinner as this too can cause indigestion. This does not mean you have to avoid spices completely, just don't have too spicy.

Cut out cruciferous

I know it is the season of cauliflower and cabbage but save them for the day time. Cruciferous eaten at dinner can cause bloat, Leaving uncomfortable all night. For dinner, stick to more easily digestible vegetables from the gourd family like – bottle gourd, pumpkin, ivy gourd etc.

Carb rich dinners

My advice is to keep dinners light and with a good helping of carbohydrates. I am not only referring to wholegrains and dals but also vegetables. 50 % of your plate should be vegetables. You can have them in the form of poriyals, curries, salads, stir-fries or soups.

Too few calories

For all the weight watchers out there, cutting out calories does not help reduce weight and nor does it give sound sleep. With your stomach rumbling, the mental wheels will be churning. So, having a satisfying meal, balanced in all nutrients is the way to good sleep.

Cut down caffeine

This includes coffee, black tea, aerated drinks and chocolate. Even green tea has some caffeine, although lesser than coffee and black tea. If caffeine affects your sleep, avoid high caffeine foods post 2 pm.

Last but not the least is learning and abiding by the circadian rhythm. This means you need to follow the body's biological clock. This clock dictates that you sleep by sunset but realistically speaking that seems difficult in the times we live in. However, that is not an excuse to stay up till the wee hours at night. In fact, quality of sleep prior to 12:00am is better than that post. Every hour that you sleep prior to 12: 00am the quality of sleep is equal to 2 hours post mid-night.

Keep these points in mind and achieve peaceful sleep daily!