Sleep deprivation can leave us susceptible to a host of health issues, including memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, stroke, obesity, heart disease, and other physical and psychological problems, the researchers write.
“Nearly every disease killing us in later life has a causal link to lack of sleep,” said senior author Dr Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience.
The chances are that if you have trouble sleeping, you’ll no doubt have tried every trick in the book. Well here’s one that you may not have thought of trying. Scramble up some eggs for dinner.
Our favourite breakfast food has a magic ingredient called tryptophan, which is a natural sedative disguised as an amino acid.
As if we needed more persuasion to indulge in a late night B&E (‘bacon and egg roll’ for those who missed out on an Aussie upbringing), eggs contain vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 promotes a release of melatonin, the regulator of the sleep-wake cycle.
“A healthy well-balanced diet is a key contributor to a good night’s sleep,” said Sharon Natoli, a leading dietician and author “Eggs are widely recognised as a high-quality protein source so simply including an egg with a meal can boost sleep duration and quality for all-round mental and physical health.”
Upping your egg intake doesn’t have to be as boring as hard boiling one of the little suckers (although the boredom could help you drift off to sleep). If you’re going to be eating eggs to help you sleep, take some inspiration from Australian Eggs. They’ve partnered with nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill to create some warming recipes ideal for convenient, nutritious dinners to set your body up for a full night’s rest and allow your body to recover from the day’s activity.
