Ways to get your circadium rhythm in sync

Sleep Management/Sleep Hygiene Practices

1. Establish a regular bedtime routine which includes regular wake up time
2. Try to go to bed before 11pm
3. Avoid daytime naps, especially no longer than 1 hour or after 4pm
4. Avoid drinking coffee/tea after 2pm or soft drinks after 5pm
5. Avoid exercising after 7pm
6. Avoid watching TV or playing computer games before or in bed
7. Avoid having mobile phones or electrical appliances within 1 metre of your bed (or even better – outside of the bedroom)
8. Create a quiet, dark and comfortable temperature in your bedroom
9. Increase daytime exposure to sunlight, especially in the mornings – not while wearing sunglasses
10. Eat light meals at night
11. Set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner
12. Reduce or avoid tyramine containing foods in the evening eg:

*Pizza
*Bananas
*Avocado
*Chocolate
*Fermented dairy, soy (tofu/tempeh), sauerkraut
*Liver
*Caviar
*Cheese especially aged cheeses
*Fermented drinks such as beer and wine
*Pickled foods
*Salami

What NOT to do for good sleep!

Melatonin regulation

If you have read my article on Melatonin – Do I need supplement Melatonin – do i need supplementation? | Balancing Nutrition + Yoga you will see that I don’t promote jumping straight to melatonin supplement straight away. There are other ways you can increase your melatonin whilst also supporting your adrenals to reduce cortisol, which could be impacting your sleep. These include:

1. Nutrients such as Vitamin B6, vitamin C, calcium, folate, magnesium and iron to name a few
2. Foods rich in tryptophan such as:

Some pharmaeutical medications can reduce melatonin and include, but are not limited to:

1. Paracetamol
2. Ibuprofen
3. Aspirin
4. Valium
5. Prozac
6. Nicotine and tobacco

These should be taken moring or early afternoon (if needed) and about 2 hours before foods and nutrients to help increase melatonin.

The most common cause of reducing melatonin are caffeine, chocolate and prozac.

Avoiding overexposure to artificial and fluorescent lighting during the day and late at night as much as possible can have a huge impact on your body’s ability to produce melatonin.

There are so many reasons that you may not be getting good sleep. Also check out my article Sleep – how much do you get a night? | Balancing Nutrition + Yoga

If you are doing all of these things and sleep is still absent or disturbed, reach out and book a consult and we can work out what other factors may be at play.

  05/06/2026     Articles     0 Comment(s)