Insomnia has become a common problem that troubles contemporary people. Many people, no matter what health supplements they eat, no matter what mattresses or pillows they change, even insist on exercising every day, lying in bed or tossing and turning, or frequently waking up at night. If the above situation exists, it is recommended to consider whether there is a reason for insomnia caused by eating too little staple food, especially eating less or not eating staple food for dinner. This type of insomnia caused by a lack of carbohydrates is difficult to improve by eating health supplements, but requires eating enough sugar and oil free staple foods. Why eating starchy foods is beneficial for preventing insomnia. Although research on the relationship between nutrients and insomnia varies, multiple studies have confirmed that carbohydrates are related to sleep speed, sleep duration, sleep continuity, and sleep stages. Epidemiological studies have found that consuming more high-quality carbohydrates is associated with a reduced likelihood of poor sleep quality. There are also studies suggesting that the dietary pattern of consuming large amounts of staple foods in northern China is associated with a lower risk of insomnia. A randomized controlled study found that increasing carbohydrate supply after evening exercise can effectively improve sleep onset and quality compared to not eating carbohydrates after exercise. Although protein rich foods are also rich in B vitamins, moderate intake can help with sleep. However, if there are too many protein rich foods, it may have the opposite effect. Avoiding excessive protein at night and moderate intake of starchy foods are more beneficial for sleep. The main scientific reasons for this are as follows: - Protein has a high food heat effect, which can easily make people excited, so excessive protein foods are not conducive to quiet sleep. -Foods with high protein and fat content have a slow digestion rate, which increases the burden of nighttime gastrointestinal digestion and affects sleep quality. -If the staple food is insufficient and there is no corresponding increase in other foods, hunger will occur at night, affecting sleep and sleep quality. -In animal experiments, it has been found that increasing carbohydrate intake increases the brain's uptake of tryptophan, which is metabolized into serotonin and melatonin in the brain. High glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates such as white rice and noodles can trigger more insulin secretion, increase the supply of tryptophan to the brain, and promote the production of serotonin and melatonin. -Decades ago, it was discovered that during REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep), the body's demand for glucose increases compared to SWS sleep (slow wave sleep, the deep sleep stage in non rapid eye movement sleep). So after restricting dietary carbohydrate intake, the structure of sleep will also change, with precious REM sleep time shortened and total sleep time shortened. In addition, there are two possible reasons: one is that moderate intake of starchy foods can help maintain stable blood sugar levels and prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia. Some friends frequently wake up or have nightmares at night, which may be due to insufficient intake of carbohydrates and liver glycogen, leading to low blood sugar at night. The excessive decrease in blood sugar is a strong stress, which can increase the levels of stress hormones, making it easy for people to wake up at night and have difficulty falling asleep again. Secondly, in order to maintain stable blood sugar levels, the body has to break down protein to produce glucose when skipping or eating less carbohydrates for dinner, which increases the workload on the liver at night and may also affect the quality of sleep. Not eating staple foods or eating too little is actually not conducive to weight loss. In fact, eating staple foods reasonably is beneficial for preventing obesity, while not eating staple foods or eating too little is not conducive to weight loss. -Eating less staple food does not necessarily mean losing weight. Firstly, due to insufficient energy supply, the body will find ways to "save energy", making you lethargic and reducing consumption. Even if you force yourself to exercise, you will still feel particularly tired after exercising. Once a person's energy and physical strength improve, the extra few bites of food they eat will be consumed by their active physical state and will not turn into fat accumulation on their body. Secondly, in order to maintain stable blood sugar levels and increase metabolic pressure in the body, people will find ways to break down muscle proteins to synthesize glucose, which not only consumes additional B vitamins and energy, but also increases the burden on the liver and kidneys. This will also make you feel tired. -Eating less staple food does not mean reducing calorie intake. Delicious meat is basically impossible to be low-fat, because low-fat meat will definitely be "useless". Soft, juicy, and delicious meat, almost all of which are high in fat. Moreover, many delicious dishes have added a lot of sugar to enhance their richness and richness. So, the strategy of adding meat and reducing food intake cannot reduce total calorie intake. The calories saved by eating less rice are replaced by sugar and fat in the vegetables, which have lower nutritional value and are more prone to weight gain. Excessive fat and protein can also affect the balance of gut microbiota and be detrimental to insulin sensitivity. -Eating less staple food does not necessarily mean effective sugar control. Many people strictly limit their staple food at night because they want to control sugar, but doing so may cause low blood sugar at night. The next morning, fasting blood sugar levels will actually increase, and morning blood sugar fluctuations will also increase. After eating enough staple food the night before, blood sugar levels became more stable the next day. -Eating less staple food affects sleep itself and is also one of the possible reasons for promoting weight gain. The association between insomnia or sleep deprivation and obesity has been widely recognized in academia. Meanwhile, insomnia and lack of sleep can lead to insufficient energy during the day, decreased exercise willingness, and further promote obesity. How much staple food is enough to eat? The dietary guidelines suggest that adults who engage in light physical activity should consume 200-300 grams of grains/grains per day (including rice, flour, dry corn, millet, oatmeal, buckwheat flour, quinoa, adzuki beans, mung beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and other ingredients). This refers to the dry weight before cooking. -Women who engage in light physical activity need approximately 200 grams of grain, which is about 1 small bowl of rice per meal. If there is more exercise, you can increase the amount. -Boys who engage in light physical activities need about 300 grams of food, but if they exercise regularly or are building muscle, they need to increase their intake. Everyone has different metabolic abilities and physical activity levels, so there is no need to strictly compare. The level of feeling comfortable when eating, being energetic during the day, and sleeping soundly at night is sufficient. If you can eat some whole grains and cereals, such as rice cooked with half rice and half brown rice, the effect will be better. Because brown rice contains several times more gamma aminobutyric acid and B vitamins than polished white rice, and its digestion rate is slower, slowly releasing glucose, which is more conducive to the continuous synthesis of glycogen rather than fat. In addition, eating too little staple food is not good, which does not mean that there is only staple food in the plate and other types of food are insufficient. When there is a shortage of staple food, increasing the amount of staple food is to improve nutritional balance and enhance body metabolism. However, when the staple food is already sufficient, it is necessary to consider whether there are enough protein foods and whether there are many vegetable varieties. Balanced nutrition is essential for achieving the best quality of life, including sleep quality. It should be noted that having enough staple food does not necessarily mean that one can indulge in sweets, fried foods, or starchy foods with low nutritional value as they please. On the basis of eating staple foods normally, improving dietary quality is the key. A summary study found that compared to a high sugar diet and Western style meals with few vegetables, a large amount of fried foods, and high-fat and high sugar foods, eating traditional starchy staple foods, staple foods that include whole grains and cereals, and diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables are more beneficial for sleep quality. In short, only by eating well can one sleep well. If you have been struggling with poor sleep quality for a long time and various methods are ineffective, you may consult a nutrition professional to see if your nutrition is reasonable and if you have eaten enough staple food. Perhaps adding half a bowl of rice as the main course for dinner can help you regain your long lost sweet sleep. (New Society)