SLEEP FOR PAIN TREATMENT: SLEEP AND DIET
According to Philip Goldman and Daniel Kaufman, the authors of 'Natural Sleep',1 diet plays a major role in the ability to sleep normally. As a moderate and balanced diet should be part of everyday existence much of what they have to say has relevance to chronic pain sufferers.
Their basic suggestions regarding diet in sleep can be summarised thus:
• Be moderate
Overeating makes excessive demands on the body. You should always stop eating when you feel comfortably full. Do not wait until you feel stuffed. Overeating will contribute to your inability to sleep. Your body can't be expected to rest when it is working overtime to digest a big meal.
• Eat when you are hungry, not by the clock.
• Chew thoroughly and eat slowly.
Remember that digestion begins in the mouth. Become a gourmet and take the time to discover the tastes and the textures of the food you are eating.
• Try not to eat when you are emotionally upset or overtired.
• Try to eat fresh foods rather than pre-packaged or processed foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables are just as easy to prepare as canned or frozen foods. They are well worth the extra time spent in shopping
for them. Steam or saute your vegetables as boiling extracts many nutrients.
• Cut down on fatty food, especially animal fats.
It is easier to digest fish and fowl, or lean meats, than fatty meats.
• Avoid, or cut down on sugar and white flour *173\37\8*
MENTAL PROBLEMS OF FOOD INTOLERANCE: PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ALLERGY DRUGS
