sugar is a sleepy food

“But sugar is not a stimulant food – it is a sleepy food”.
Can Sugar Help You Sleep?
In previous articles, we’ve looked at a few chemicals to do with sleep, primarily adenosine and how it relates to coffee and sleep. But, with the human body being the complex interplay of hormones and glands that it is, there’s more than just one chemical that works to regulate sleep.
Orexin, also known as hypocretin, is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain. It works to regulate arousal, wakefulness, and appetite. Orexin is a key factor in sleep and wakefulness. To drive home the importance of orexin, sufferers of the most common form of narcolepsy are missing just this hormone.
The relationship between orexin and sleep basically breaks down to this:
• High orexin: Wakefulness
• Low orexin: Sleepiness
And that’s where sugar comes in. Studies indicate that large amounts of glucose in the bloodstream are enough to suppress the activity of orexin neurons in the brain. And we know that consuming sugar is a sure way to dump glucose into your bloodstream. With the orexin activity slowed or stopped thanks to sugar, sleepiness follows.
Sweet Dreams
I had warned in a previous article that your evening decaf tea shouldn’t have any sugar in it. This was not true.
If you want to add a spoon of sugar to your chamomile, go for it. It may be that the sugar actually helps you fall asleep faster than otherwise.
But this means that the same is true in the morning. If you have a hard time getting going after breakfast, you may want to cut out your sugary drinks, cereals, and other sweet snacks. It may seem counter-intuitive, thanks to the ingrained sugar myth.
But sugar is not a stimulant food – it is a sleepy food.