Hot tips from T1D Nutritionist Andi Balog.

·      Sleep is one of the most important yet underrated parts of our health 

·      Most people are either getting too little sleep or aren’t getting enough good quality sleep

·      This affects every part of your body - including focus, memory, mood, energy, skin, and you guessed it...BGLS.

·      There are many easy things you can do to improve your sleep - here is 3!

1. Ditch caffeine past 12pm. The half-life of caffeine is 6 hours. That means the 3 pm coffee you’re having will still be in your system until around 3 am the next morning... yep.. when you’re trying to sleep. Also, know that ‘decaf’ coffee still contains caffeine. 7mg per cup. That is still enough to ruin most people’s sleep if taken within 12 hours of bedtime. 

   Instead, stick to water and non-caffeinated tea or other drinks after midday for improved sleep!

2. Set boundaries around screen time - SWITCH OFF your phone/tv/laptop at a set time each evening - the rest can wait until the morning. The blue light in screens tells your brain it’s daytime. It switches off your natural melatonin production (a hormone produced in response to darkness that helps you sleep). 

3. While screens are still on, get yourself a pair of blue blocker or orange lens glasses to wear whenever you use screens during the day or at night. This helps block some of the blue light so you can start producing melatonin. 

   These glasses also help reduce eye strain/pain/itchiness/dryness and migraines/headaches related to using computers/phones for extended periods. 

   You can get a pair at www.baxterblue.com.au for under $100 and get a 10% discount when you use code FOODIED at checkout. 

Go get those zzzs!