Best Bedtime Snacks For Better Sleep
When your kids don’t sleep, you probably don’t sleep either. If you’re nodding your head in agreement, you’re in good company. “More than half of American children between the ages of 6 and 17 are getting less sleep at night than they need,” said Emmy award-winning Phoenix Arizona TV anchor Whitney Clark during a recent Health Watch segment.
To help parents learn what kids should and shouldn’t be eating near bedtime, she interviewed popular functional medicine expert and best-selling author Bryce Wylde, Bsc, DHMS, a practitioner for more than 20 years.
Wylde connected the dots between sleep and healthy growth and development, explaining that human growth hormones surge at night during the sleep cycle. The brain also detoxifies at night during deep sleep. “If (deep sleep) doesn't happen, children may not be growing at the rate they should be.” One better-sleep strategy he suggested is to limit late-night snacking to no later than an hour before bedtime.
Evaluate kids’ late-night snacks
“One of the biggest mistakes parents make is overfeeding sugar to children, especially just before bedtime,” he continued. In addition to ramping them up, he explained cake, cookies and crackers are usually deficient in the micronutrients kids need for deep sleep.
Wylde also observed that parents often have trouble getting children to eat enough protein, which is when he introduced Healthy Heights to the viewers. “Healthy Heights is a full-spectrum protein along with vitamins including A, D and C. What I love about it is that you’re getting the right ratio of all the right ingredients and it’s the right dosage for the child aged 3-plus.”
He added, “It’s also third-party tested. It’s indicated for children with short stature, lean children, picky eaters and even athletic children. This before bed is a winning combination for my little patients.”
Healthy Heights Grow Daily formulas are available in kid-pleasing chocolate and vanilla flavors, as well as plain which is ideal for blending into recipes. Healthy Heights Kidz Protein formulas come in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.
View Bryce's interview here!