Emma Stewart, by e-mail

Over the past couple of years I have seen many people with problems sleeping while they’ve been on classic high-protein diets — eating steak and salad in the evening can have an especially stimulating effect. Strict high-protein diets (in other words, no starches, pulses, fruit or starchy vegetables) are very effective for weight loss, but can also cause restlessness at night.

I would suggest incorporating a little starch in your diet. Even if you don’t like the idea of eating pasta, bread, rice, potatoes and cereals in any great quantities, they do have a great calming effect on the body — stimulating the production of serotonin, which promotes feelings of contentment and can help you to sleep. You don’t need a large amount; some people find that if they include a little pasta in a salad at night, or couscous with their roast chicken, or have a slice of wholegrain bread in the evening, it gives their body enough starch to promote sleep. You can still lose weight while incorporating some starch in your evening meal.

But if you really don’t want to go down that route, you could instead choose a “mid-point” food, such as beans or lentils — these contain both protein and starch, and will do the trick. So add something like hoummos to a meal, or chickpeas or tinned beans to a soup or salad. I would also make sure you are not eating too much at night. Try to leave a good hour between food and going to bed, as sometimes an uncomfortable gut may be the cause of sleeplessness. Not having enough to eat can also be a problem: your body will be restless if it wants more than a simple salad.

Drink some cold or hot milk before you go to bed, but avoid chocolate drinks, as sometimes the caffeine-like theobromine in chocolate can keep you awake. Milk is also rich in calcium, which is sometimes referred to as nature’s tranquilliser, and is a source of tryptophan, an amino acid which can stimulate the production of serotonin. There is now a special night-time milk, available in many supermarkets, which has particularly high levels of the hormone melatonin.

One of the biggest myths is that alcohol helps you to sleep. Certainly, a drop may help you to wind down, but really any alcohol over and above a glass affects the replenishing REM sleep, can make you dehydrated, which will wake you up, and can lower your blood-sugar level, which can also have the same wakening effect. However, beer contains hops, which are sedating — a good compromise might be half a pint of hoppy beer if you really don’t like milk.

On the herbal side, camomile, lettuce, passion flower and lemon balm are all herbal remedies/teas that I have found useful, especially camomile or lemon balm tea.

My IBS is stress-related and I have ruled out any dietary connections. I already eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, wholemeal bread, no junk food, little salt, and we cook with olive oil. I take omega oil supplements, evening primrose, multivitamins, and heaven knows what else. I am on Benecol because of the history of heart disease in my family. I also take a sachet of Fybogel daily, as the doctor suggested a bulking agent at one point. Any other suggestions?

Name and address supplied

First, I would suggest that you go back to your doctor and ask whether he still thinks that taking Fybogel is a good idea, as it’s more commonly used as a laxative. But my feeling is that you may be overdoing the vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Although in general we should aim for five portions of fruit or vegetables a day for optimum health, sometimes eating this much, if not more, when you have a sensitive gut can lead to diarrhoea. Also check that you’re not having too much of any one particular fruit, as sometimes our gut works better with a selection of different types.

You could try eating cooked fruits and vegetables rather than a lot of raw salads, which can pass straight through. Instead of always having wholemeal, have a little white rice or bread. Try experimenting with more oat-based foods such as porridge, spelt bread or spelt cereals (try those from www.sharphampark.com). I’d also consider taking aloe vera juice (maybe 20ml three times a day) and a probiotic supplement, such as acidophilus (the usual dose is 8 billion cultures per day). The aloe vera juice can work wonders with IBS guts and the good bacteria can help to reduce any potential bad bacteria that might be playing a part in your symptoms. Discuss with your doctor whether you need to take Benecol, as unless you have a high cholesterol level I would query its usefulness; sometimes such supplements can aggravate a sensitive gut.

DO YOU NEED HELP?

Send your nutritional problems to jane.clarke@thetimes.co.uk or to Jane Clarke, times2, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT. Her replies cannot apply to individual cases and should be taken in a general context. Consult your GP with any health or specific conditions. Jane cannot enter into personal correspondence.

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