Improving Sleep Through Diet
For your tween to relax enough so that sleep is possible, he needs to stick to menu items that have calming properties and avoid foods and beverages to which he is allergic or that function like stimulants.
Don't just say “no” to bedtime snacks containing additives, sugars, and stimulants. In fact, don't just say “no” or “yes” to your tween about anything. Share the “whys” behind your decisions so he can make good decisions when he's grown and you aren't present to tell him what to do.
Read the labels on carbonated beverages and teas and forbid caffeinated beverages, especially after dinner. Even decaffeinated coffees contain small amounts of caffeine. Some blended teas contain black tea, which contains caffeine, too, so stick to herbal. Chocolate is a stimulant, so it should be avoided.
Instead of the usual chips, cookies, and ice cream, offer a bedtime snack high in tryptophan (an amino acid found in meats, fish, poultry, cottage cheese, and peanuts) combined with a complex carbohydrate (found in whole grain breads and crackers, pasta, and rice). Together they induce feelings of well-being and slow brain activity. Sliced turkey on crackers, an egg and cheese on toast, or some leftover tuna casserole are good choices.
Serve bedtime snacks with a relaxation-inducing beverage. Try a glass of warm milk or a cup of chamomile tea.
Food AllergiesMany parents are not aware that their child suffers from allergies that interfere with sleep. Allergy testing is one way to make this determination. Another is to keep a journal of everything your tween eats at home and have her record whatever she consumes away from home in a journal of her own. If your tween doesn't follow through, interview her when she gets home to find out what she ate that day. Note in the journals the time at which she feels tired, sleepy, cranky, nervous, “hyper,” ill, sad, or has any physical symptoms, such as hives, itchy skin, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, difficulty breathing, constipation, or diarrhea. Compile a list of suspect foods and begin an elimination diet. To do that, cut out the most likely culprits altogether, and reintroduce them at the rate of one every few days while continuing to track her symptoms. Many children are affected by refined sugars, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, and fish. Consult the labels on processed foods. Dried eggs, powdered milk, sugars, and refined wheat are included in lots of foods you wouldn't typically think of as containing those ingredients.
