All moms want it but we never can get enough of it. What is it? Sleep.

As moms, we take care of everyone else and sometimes put ourselves on the back burner. One thing that can suffer is sleep and what you eat can play a major role in influencing sleep.The Centers for Disease Control actually describes lack of sleep as a public health epidemic in the United States.

Whether you stay up too late getting that last load of laundry done or just appreciate the downtime while everyone else is asleep, it’s important to know that lack of sleep can contribute to poor health.

Lack of sleep motivates hunger hormones in the body to seek out food.  Adequate sleep gives us energy to complete our day and when sleep is lacking, the body makes up for it by signaling hunger to help you eat your way to energy.

What happens is that we tend to overeat, causing overweight issues and a higher risk of many other health conditions.

Don’t be sleepless in the kitchen — instead, get adequate sleep to fuel your day.

5 foods can contribute to healthier sleep

•Cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the body to make you less awake.

•Walnuts contain a number of nutrients that support a relaxed and healthy nervous system, even melatonin.

•Milk — It’s not an old wives tale. Milk contains potassium to help prevent leg cramps and carbohydrates, one of the best fuels for sleep-promoting serotonin.

•Grains are a source of carbohydrates — one of the best fuels for promoting serotonin.

•Pumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium which can reduce inflammation that may contribute to poor sleep and tryptophan which helps produce serotonin in the body.

Bedtime snacks are okay

•Having a snack that contains healthy carbohydrates and a little protein can increase your serotonin levels and help you drift off to sleep.

Have the snack one hour before bedtime.  Great examples include cheese and crackers or yogurt and fruit or milk and cereal.

A fun way to let mom sleep in on Mother’s Day is making her Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes for breakfast-in-bed.

This recipe, included below, is quick as it only takes 20 minutes from start to finish and it’s easy and tasty.

Mom can feel good about it, knowing that each mini roll is about 100 calories.

Have a happy Mother’s Day!

Cinnamon roll cupcakes

Makes 32

All you need

•4-1/2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick mix

•1-1/3 cups fat-free milk

•2 tablespoons all-purpose vegetable oil-based margarine, melted

•¼ cup sugar

•1 teaspoon cinnamon

•2 cups powdered sugar

•2 tablespoons all-purpose vegetable oil-based margarine, melted

•2 tablespoons fat-free milk

•1 teaspoon vanilla

All you do

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, stir together Bisquick and 1-1/3 cups fat-free milk. Turn onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 times. Roll into 12-inch x 10-inch rectangle.

2. Stir together 2 tablespoons melted margarine, sugar and cinnamon and spread over dough surface. Cut dough in half lengthwise.

3.  Roll up each piece of dough starting on the longer side. Cut each log of dough into 16 pieces, for a total of 32.

4.  Place in cupcake liners in muffin tin, cut side down.  Bake 8 to 9 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, mix together powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons melted margarine, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over cupcakes as soon as they come out of the oven.

This column is not intended to take the place of medical advice. Please consult your health care provider for personalized medical advice.

 

Follow Jen Haugen at her blog: http://jenhaugenrd.wordpress.com