GOQii

Blog

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

February 8, 2025 By Monika Raj Leave a Comment

Foods for Better Sleep: Natural Remedies for a Restful Night

foods for sleepHow many hours do you spend in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep? You close your eyes, but peaceful, quality sleep seems to evade you every time. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. While factors like stress and lifestyle play a role, the solution might be simpler than you think—your diet. Let’s explore some foods that can help you achieve the restful sleep you’ve been dreaming of.

Why Food Matters for Sleep

What you eat can significantly impact your sleep quality. Certain foods contain nutrients that promote relaxation, regulate sleep hormones, and help you fall asleep faster. By incorporating these foods into your evening routine, you can create the perfect environment for a good night’s rest.

Top Foods For Better Sleep

  1. Warm Milk
    Warm milk in general, contains ingredients that are known to help people sleep. For instance, milk contains tryptophan – an amino acid that can help the human body produce serotonin – a brain chemical which can induce deeper and more restful sleep by creating melatonin. If you have sleep issues, some warm milk with a little bit of jaggery and turmeric 15-30 minutes before going to bed should do the trick.

  2. AlmondsHealth Benefits Of AlmondsAlmonds contain high doses of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleeping and waking cycle. Around 5-6 whole almonds contain a good amount of magnesium and of calcium – two minerals that help promote muscle relaxation and sleep especially in people who lose sound sleep due to muscle tetany or leg pain. These can be consumed in the evening or even before bedtime. It’s great for people who sleep late as they can munch on these for a good night’s rest.

  3. Chamomile Tea:
    For years, chamomile tea has been used as a natural remedy to reduce inflammation, anxiety and treat insomnia as well. In fact, chamomile is commonly regarded as a mild tranquilizer or sleep inducer. Chamomile tea contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which may help initiate sleep. You can brew 1 tea bag/ fresh chamomile tea with hot water and drink it before bed or late evening.

  4. Walnuts
    Walnuts contain a few compounds that promote and regulate sleep, including melatonin and serotonin. Each serving of walnuts also contains other nutrients that can help induce sleep such as magnesium. You can munch them along with almonds for combined benefits late in the evening for snacks.  

Foods to Avoid Before Bed

While some foods can help you sleep, others can disrupt your rest. Avoid these before bedtime:

  • Caffeinated Beverages: Tea, coffee, and energy drinks can keep you awake and cause acidity.
  • Spicy or Heavy Meals: These can lead to indigestion and discomfort, making it harder to fall asleep.
  • Sugary Snacks: High sugar intake can cause energy spikes and crashes, disrupting your sleep cycle.

Achieving restful sleep doesn’t have to be complicated. By incorporating sleep-friendly foods like warm milk, almonds, chamomile tea, and walnuts into your evening routine, you can create the perfect environment for a good night’s rest. Remember, consistency is key—make these foods a regular part of your diet for long-term benefits.

Have you tried any of these foods for better sleep? Share your experiences in the comments below! For more tips on improving sleep and overall wellness, explore our Healthy Reads or consult a GOQii Coach for personalised health advice. Subscribe now to start your wellness journey!

#BeTheForce

August 8, 2024 By Mubasheera Chaiwala Leave a Comment

Mastering Hypertension: A Comprehensive Guide to Lifestyle Management

HypertensionHypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is largely influenced by lifestyle factors. By understanding and making adjustments to five key aspects of daily life — diet, exercise, stress management, sleep quality, and hydration— you can effectively manage this condition and improve overall well-being.

Dietary Adjustments: Sodium plays a crucial role in the body’s fluid balance, but excessive intake can be harmful. A moderate salt intake is essential, particularly by reducing hidden sodium sources found in processed, preserved, and packaged foods (Avoid 3Ps). To naturally support heart health and lower blood pressure, incorporate foods that boost nitric oxide production, such as beetroot, garlic, dark chocolate (in moderation), nuts, seeds, and berries. These foods contain beneficial compounds that help relax blood vessels, promoting better circulation and supporting long-term heart health.

Regular Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle contributes to arterial stiffness and plaque buildup, increasing hypertension risk. Regular cardiovascular activity can prevent these complications and enhance heart function.

Recommended activity levels: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio, Strength training at least twice a week to improve circulation and overall heart health.

Exercise not only improves physical health but also reduces stress by triggering the release of endorphins—the body’s natural mood boosters.

Stress Reduction: Stress is a natural response to daily challenges, but chronic stress can lead to sustained high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart complications. Implementing stress management techniques can help reduce this burden and support cardiovascular health.

Effective Stress Reduction Strategies: Engage in activities you enjoy, Maintain social connections and positive relationships, Practise deep breathing and relaxation techniques, Incorporate yoga and meditation for mindfulness and balance, Laugh often—yes, laughter can lower stress hormones!

Optimizing Sleep: The quality of sleep plays a vital role in blood pressure regulation. Creating a relaxing sleep environment and healthy bedtime habits can significantly improve sleep and prevent disruptions linked to hypertension.

Sleep Tips for Blood Pressure Control: Reserve the bedroom for rest—avoid working or using electronic devices in bed, Elevate your legs before sleeping to promote circulation, Maintain a quiet, dark, and cool environment for deeper sleep, Practise deep breathing exercises before bedtime, Avoid abrupt awakenings—opt for a gentle alarm tone

Adequate Hydration: Dehydration can increase sodium concentration in the blood, leading to a rise in blood pressure. Ensuring consistent hydration throughout the day supports heart function and helps regulate blood pressure.

Hydration Tips: Drink small amounts of water regularly rather than consuming large amounts at once, Include herbal teas and water-rich fruits & vegetables in your diet, Avoid excessive caffeine and sugary drinks, which can contribute to dehydration.

By embracing these lifestyle modifications, you can take proactive steps towards managing hypertension naturally while enhancing overall health and well-being. Small, consistent changes in diet, exercise, stress management, sleep, and hydration can have a big impact on your heart health.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

August 7, 2024 By Urvi Gohil Leave a Comment

Improve Sleep and Sleep Quality with these Lifestyle Changes

Improve sleep and sleep qualityWhile sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep per night to function at best. It has been estimated that more than half of the working population in India have experienced some or the other form of sleep deprivation or alteration during their lifetime.

Globally, the prevalence of insomnia ranges from 10-15%.

Sleep deprivation reduces your cognitive processes like thinking, learning, attention, concentration, etc. Chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, irregular heartbeat, etc. Over time, lack of sleep can contribute to symptoms of depression and kills your sex drive. And yes, lack of optimum sleep can make you gain weight.

How to Improve Sleep and Sleep Quality

1. Stay away from gadgets
Using electronic devices before bedtime can be physiologically and psychologically stimulating in ways that can adversely affect your sleep. The more electronic devices a person uses in the evening, the harder it is to fall asleep or stay asleep. Using TV, tablets, smartphones, laptops or other electronic devices before bed delays your body’s internal clock, suppresses the release of sleep-inducing hormones & makes it difficult to fall asleep. Along, with increase in alertness at the time you should sleep, it, in turn, delays the onset of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and compromises energy levels the next morning. Over time, these effects can add up to a significant chronic deficiency in sleep.

2. Take a Lukewarm Bath Before Bed
Taking a bath or shower before bedtime is a well-known sleep remedy. This is because a warm bath can help us relax. Our body temperature tends to drop after a warm bath, which can induce better sleep. Research suggests that the best time for taking a shower is 1-2 hours before going to bed. The duration of the bath does not need to be longer than 10 min. This will improve blood circulation and stimulate “temperature circadian rhythm” helping you fall asleep, improving sleep and sleep quality.

3. Perform Deep Breathing Before Sleep
Breathing strongly influences physiology and thought processes including moods. By simply focusing your attention on your breathing and without doing anything to change it, you can move in the direction of relaxation. The 4-7-8 breathing exercise also called “the relaxing breath” promotes better sleep. Here are the steps:

  1. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
  2. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
  3. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  4. Exhale completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
  5. This is one breath. Repeat 20 times.

4. Sleep Inducing Foods
There are certain foods which can help induce better sleep.

  • A glass of warm milk is a perfect beverage to induce sound sleep. Milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that converts into serotonin. Serotonin is known to have soothing effects in the brain and helps you sleep well. Adding a pinch of nutmeg, cardamom and some crushed almonds will improve taste and sleep.
  • Chamomile tea: Refreshing, revitalizing and fragrant chamomile tea has soothing effects on nerves and helps induce sleep.
  • Almonds could help you support sound sleep. Almonds also contain tryptophan and magnesium which are helpful in keeping your heart rhythm steady.
  • Avoid tea, coffee, alcohol and other stimulating foods after dusk.

5. Eat Your Dinner Early
When you eat late, you are unable to sleep because of improper digestion. An early dinner is good for digestion, helps in reaching your satiety value earlier and the body is able to utilize the food better and induce sleep. Eating late at night leaves the body on a high alert state which interferes with the circadian rhythm. Minimum 2-3 hours of gap between Dinner and sleep is good.

We hope these tips help you improve sleep and sleep quality! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below.

For more on sleep, check out Healthy Reads or get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health.

May 25, 2024 By Palak Mittal 2 Comments

How smartphones and other electronic gadgets affects our sleep quality

For most of us, our smartphone is the first thing we look at in the morning and the last thing we check before going to bed. But, is it a right practice? Well, it is not. As per a study published by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, using a smartphone right before bedtime actually reduces the overall quality of sleep.

Here’s how:

  • Difficulty in falling asleep – We feel sleepy when our brain releases a hormone called melatonin, which is determined by the body’s circadian rhythm. The blue light emitted by the screen of the smartphone interferes with this rhythm and the secretion of melatonin, which makes it difficult for us to fall asleep, even after we keep our phone aside.
  • Poor quality of sleep – Using a smartphone before going to bed also hampers the overall quality of sleep because, when we check an office email or a text message as the last thing before we sleep, it gets difficult for our brain to relax, due to which we are unable to sleep peacefully.
  • Decreased attention span – Our productivity suffers during the day, due to lack of proper sleep at night. Also, not getting enough sleep is known to hamper our decision-making skills, impair our long & short-term memory, which leads to unnecessary stress and anxiety
  • Increased risk of weight gain – Our body is more likely to feel hungry when we don’t get our due share of sleep, as sleep deprivation slows down our metabolism. Thus, use of smartphone right before bedtime can induce cravings, which lead to snacking and weight gain.
  • Weak immune system – While we are asleep our immune system produces antibodies that help fight infections, it also releases a protein known as cytokines. This protein not only promotes sleep but also fights inflammation and other problems caused by stress. Lack of sound sleep decreases the production of cytokines and increases the risk of falling sick, it also slows down our recovery cycle. Further, long-term sleep deprivation can raise the risk of diseases, such as diabetes, heart problems and obesity.
  • Skin damage – Sleeping late at night and not getting enough sleep can lead to dark circles, puffy eyes and fine lines across our face. The blue light emitted by our smartphones triggers the secretion of cortisol, which can damage our skin’s smoothness and elasticity.

Thus, even if we are spending only some time on our smartphone before going to bed, it affects our overall mental and physical well-being.

We hope this article sheds light on the detrimental effects of smartphone usage on sleep quality and overall health. If you found this information helpful, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. For more insights on improving sleep and maintaining a healthy lifestyle speak to a certified expert by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Search

Recent Posts

  • Silencing the Food Noise: Tackling Cravings While on GLP-1 Therapy
  • (no title)
  • Reframing Obesity as a Disease: From Blame to Biology
  • All You Need To Know About Visceral Fat
  • Everything You Need To Know About Fiber, Fat Loss and Your Health

Stay Updated

Archives

  • July 2025 (3)
  • June 2025 (18)
  • May 2025 (13)
  • April 2025 (21)
  • March 2025 (26)
  • February 2025 (23)
  • January 2025 (26)
  • December 2024 (26)
  • November 2024 (26)
  • October 2024 (27)
  • September 2024 (25)
  • August 2024 (31)
  • July 2024 (22)
  • June 2024 (27)
  • May 2024 (31)
  • April 2024 (27)
  • March 2024 (29)
  • February 2024 (26)
  • January 2024 (27)
  • December 2023 (18)
  • November 2023 (19)
  • October 2023 (24)
  • September 2023 (25)
  • August 2023 (23)
  • July 2023 (24)
  • June 2023 (25)
  • May 2023 (27)
  • April 2023 (25)
  • March 2023 (25)
  • February 2023 (20)
  • January 2023 (16)
  • December 2022 (12)
  • November 2022 (16)
  • October 2022 (15)
  • September 2022 (13)
  • August 2022 (11)
  • July 2022 (19)
  • June 2022 (11)
  • May 2022 (10)
  • April 2022 (6)
  • March 2022 (6)
  • February 2022 (13)
  • January 2022 (13)
  • December 2021 (7)
  • November 2021 (3)
  • October 2021 (6)
  • September 2021 (3)
  • August 2021 (8)
  • July 2021 (7)
  • June 2021 (15)
  • May 2021 (16)
  • April 2021 (10)
  • March 2021 (7)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (3)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (10)
  • September 2020 (3)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (4)
  • May 2020 (10)
  • April 2020 (12)
  • March 2020 (10)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • January 2020 (4)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (7)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (4)
  • August 2019 (9)
  • July 2019 (9)
  • June 2019 (11)
  • May 2019 (4)
  • April 2019 (9)
  • March 2019 (8)
  • February 2019 (9)
  • January 2019 (8)
  • December 2018 (9)
  • November 2018 (3)
  • October 2018 (3)
  • September 2018 (5)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (6)
  • June 2018 (13)
  • May 2018 (8)
  • April 2018 (18)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (8)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (12)
  • November 2017 (19)
  • October 2017 (13)
  • September 2017 (15)
  • August 2017 (4)
  • July 2017 (8)
  • June 2017 (7)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (6)
  • February 2017 (7)
  • January 2017 (10)
  • December 2016 (10)
  • November 2016 (7)
  • October 2016 (7)
  • September 2016 (7)
  • August 2016 (11)
  • July 2016 (9)
  • June 2016 (9)
  • May 2016 (12)
  • April 2016 (17)
  • March 2016 (17)
  • February 2016 (8)
  • January 2016 (6)
  • December 2015 (2)
  • November 2015 (9)
  • October 2015 (7)
  • September 2015 (9)
  • August 2015 (11)
  • July 2015 (9)
  • June 2015 (12)
  • May 2015 (9)
  • April 2015 (13)
  • March 2015 (8)
  • February 2015 (5)
  • January 2015 (12)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (11)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (13)
  • August 2014 (12)
  • July 2014 (6)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (5)

(no title)

Please Wait While Loading... … [Read More...]

Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]

Devesh Srivastava

Devesh Srivastava Lowers His HbA1c from 6.7 to 5.8 With GOQii

Have you ever suffered from a cold or fever and thought to yourself that you can manage this? In fact, there’s a good chance that with some medication and rest, the symptoms of a cold or fever have subsided. But, when you deal with issues such as Diabetes and Hypertension, trying to manage the issue […]

Dhiren Matani - Healthy lifestyle

Transforming Health and Life: Dhiren Matani’s Inspirational Journey to Wellness

In the face of persistent health challenges, Dhiren Matani, (43), an entrepreneur from Mumbai, embarked on a journey of resilience and transformation. Battling weight issues and a heart condition for some years, he refused to succumb to the daunting odds. Through sheer determination, he took control of his health at the right time by adopting […]

  • HOME
  • HEALTHY LIVING
  • FITNESS
  • HEALTHY RECIPES
  • USER STORIES
  • KARMA
  • BUY GOQii

Copyright ©2016 GOQii