Green juice has many health benefits that can greatly improve the way your body and mind function throughout the day. Some people may be tempted to have green juice right before bed in the belief that it will continue to provide them with these benefits while they sleep. But is it advisable, and can doing so help you sleep better?
You should have green juice before bed as it can help you sleep and aid your bodily functions during the night. As you sleep, your body is depleted of nutrients and water. Drinking green juice before bed will negate this loss of nourishment. Potassium and magnesium are also known sleep aids.
In this article, we will discuss how your digestive system functions during the night and what this means in regards to green juice. Next, we will look into how green juice may or may not act as a sleep aid to help you get a better night’s rest. Lastly, we will outline the best times to drink green juice in order to maximize its many benefits and your health as a whole.
In This Article
The Physiological Effects of Having Green Juice Before Bed
Before we can provide a decisive answer to the question of whether or not a person should drink green juice before bed, it is important to first explain exactly how your body–more specifically your digestive system–functions while you sleep.
Rate of Digestion
One of the most important factors to consider before answering this question is the rate of digestion. Rate of digestion refers to the duration of time required for your body to break down, utilize, and expel the foods or liquids you have consumed.
It should be noted that the force of gravity aids your digestive system. Because of this, the horizontal position is the slowest and least effective position for digesting food. As the overwhelming majority of people lay down to sleep, this factor alone means that your body will take longer to digest green juice while sleeping.
However, there are more differences in how your digestive system functions during waking and sleeping hours than the posture and position of your body. When your body is in sleep mode, all of its functions slow. The heart rate drops, body temperature decreases, and of course, your metabolism slows down.
This is your body’s way of conserving energy and rejuvenating itself for the following day, but it also means that your body will store more fat and possibly lead to weight gain.
Vital Nutrition for Recovery and Repair
On the other hand, there are certain benefits associated with eating before bed that can not be ignored. Your body does expend energy during sleep, and, as such, requires a fuel source.
While it is never advisable to eat something heavy, greasy, or unhealthy before bed, such as chips or pizza, having a healthy snack before bed can provide your body with the vital nutrition it needs throughout the night and leave you feeling fresh and energetic in the morning. Drinking a healthy green juice blend before bed will help your body and mind recover and repair themselves while you are asleep.
Hydration
Green juice will also hydrate you during the night. Believe it or not, your body can become very dehydrated while you sleep, despite being entirely immobile. Hydration is lost during sleep via the moisture in the air you expel during breathing, through your skin, and through your kidneys producing urine from the bio-waste and water in your blood.
By now, we have demonstrated that there are both pros and cons to drinking green juice before bed. After carefully considering these against one another, we strongly feel that the pros of drinking green juice before bed outweigh the cons.
As long as your consumption is within reason, the energy, reparative assistance, and hydration you will gain by drinking green juice before bed outweigh the fact that it will digest slower and may cause a slight amount of weight gain if not worked off during the day.
Can Drinking Green Juice Before Bed Help You Sleep?
The reason why green juice is so healthy and beneficial is its nutritional content. Green juice contains virtually every vitamin, nutrient, and mineral your body needs to perform and function. Two particular minerals–potassium and magnesium–are found in practically every blend of green juice, and directly relate to sleep efficiency.
How Magnesium Helps You Sleep
The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is the system that controls your bodily functions while you are inactive and at rest. Magnesium plays a key role in transmitting the signals that activate your PNS and tell your body and brain to relax and slow down.
Spinach is high in magnesium and will provide your body with a good amount of this rich sleep-time mineral. It is typically found in most green juice recipes.
How Potassium Helps You Sleep
Studies have also shown that potassium supplementation directly affects your sleep by reducing the number of times you wake up during the night. Low potassium has been linked to anxiety and muscle contractions, which can cause cramping.
Again, spinach is a rich source of potassium and is often a key ingredient in green juice.
How Green Juice Helps You Sleep
Make sure your green juice contains plenty of calcium, potassium, and magnesium. The Green Juice Recipe Book contains an incredible 75 different delicious green juice recipes at an incredibly low price. It is a must-have for any health drink enthusiast.
Furthermore, science aside, having something in your stomach will likely make you feel more comfortable in general. No one enjoys sleeping on an empty stomach, so having a nice glass of green juice is sure to leave you feeling satisfied and content.
The only downside is that having too much may cause you to wake up during the night and relieve yourself. Beyond this, rest assured that your sleep quality will be excellent.
The only thing to avoid is overindulging. You never want to have too much green juice to the point you feel bloated and uncomfortable. Exercising moderation is the key here.
The Best Times To Drink Green Juice
Drinking green juice will always have benefits that go along with it, but drinking it at the right times throughout the day can further increase and maximize these benefits.
First Thing in the Morning
As mentioned earlier in this article, the body depletes itself of water and nutrients while you sleep. This can leave us feeling drained and empty in the morning, so having a glass of green juice with your morning meal after waking up is one of the best ways to replenish your body and provide it with the fuel that you need to start your day.
After Exercise
Another ideal time to drink green juice is immediately following exercise. Again, much like when you’re asleep, your body is depleted of water and nutrients when you’re working out. Having green juice right after a workout, when your body is very receptive to nutrients, will give you a great boost and commence your body’s healing process.
Before Bed
Lastly, as we have already proven throughout this article’s entirety, one of the best times for having green juice is before bed. However, this does not mean that you should put down a glass of green juice seconds before hopping into bed. A slight buffer period is advisable to allow the digestion process to begin before going straight to sleep.
One hour between having your green juice and going to bed will suffice to provide all the benefits outlined earlier while avoiding gas and discomfort.
Conclusion
As you sleep, your body loses water and can become dehydrated. Having green juice before bed will keep you hydrated through the night. It will also keep you full of the carbs and vitamins required to produce energy for the following day. But the absolute best time to drink it is as soon as your green juice comes out the juicer.
Potassium and magnesium, which are often also found in green juice, signal the parasympathetic nervous system to relax–much like how a sleeping pill works–helping you get a good night’s sleep.
Leave a Reply