Salt and sleep are two words that don’t naturally seem to belong in the same sentence, but salt may actually be the missing link between you and a good night’s sleep.
Sleep and salt are connected by simple metabolic processes. Salt has very specific effects on stress hormones and brain chemicals that can lead to less stress and better sleep.
But Isn’t Salt Bad for Me?
Before we get into how salt can help you get better sleep, I want to dispel the “low-salt” myth. Low-salt diets are promoted as healthy for everyone, but the scientific evidence disagrees.
“No strong evidence exists that advising people to eat less salt or putting them on a low-salt diet reduces their death rate or cuts cardiovascular events, an analysis of seven studies found.” – from Bloomberg News
But there is some evidence that low-salt diets can actually have a negative impact on our metabolic health:
- Low-salt diets have been linked to promoting insulin resistance in healthy individuals. When two groups of men and women were given a high-salt diet versus a low-salt diet, the low salt diet group developed markers for insulin resistance. (source)
- One 2011 study found that people who consume a moderate amount of salt were in the lowest risk category for heart problems and death, even lower than people who ate less salt. (source) In this study, “moderate” sodium intake was about 4,000 – 6,000 milligrams per day. (Interesting, when you consider the USDA recommends sodium intake should be less than 2,300 milligrams per day.)
What Kind of Salt is Best?
Commercial table salt is often loaded with unhealthy additives, so be sure to choose natural sea salt or pink himalayan salt that contains trace minerals in addition to sodium.
How Salt Can Help You Get Better Sleep
Now on to the good stuff. Salt can help you relax and finally get to sleep in two ways:
Salt Lowers Stress. You know those nights when you can’t sleep because your mind is racing with thoughts about work or something else you’re stressed about? Salt can actually help calm you down! Research shows that salt has a unique effect on stress levels. Having enough sodium in your bloodstream can reduce your stress response, so you don’t experience as much anxiety about things that might normally stress you out (source).
Salt Raises Oxytocin Levels. Salt also contributes to another important anti-stress action in the body: it raises your oxytocin levels (source). Oxytocin is a hormone that helps you feel calm and relaxed, and increases your sense of well being–the exact feelings you’ll want to experience if you’re trying to settle down and get ready for sleep.
How to Use Salt to Get Better Sleep
Here are some easy ways you can use salt to get better sleep:
Salt your food to taste during the day. Follow your body’s cues when it comes to salt intake. As long as you’re eating mostly whole, unprocessed foods, the body has a pretty good sense of how much salt you need.
Throughout the day, your need for salt may fluctuate depending on many factors that affect your electrolyte balance, so listening to your body and salting your food to taste is the best way to maintain the balance your body needs for optimal metabolic function.
Eat a balanced bedtime snack. A simple snack that contains fat, protein and carbohydrates plus a little salt can do wonders for your sleep. Try something like this:
- fruit and salted nuts
- Bone broth salted to taste with some sweet potato
Drink a bedtime tonic with a dash of salt. Try adding a dash or two of salt to a calming bedtime tonic like herbal tea (holy basil and chamomile are especially calming).
Take it straight. Some people find it easy to simply put up to 1/8 teaspoon of salt straight on their tongue and then chase it with a small glass of fresh juice or filtered water.
About the Author Elizabeth of The Nourished Life
Elizabeth Walling is a health and wellness blogger at The Nourished Life and author of The Nourished Metabolism. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about nutrition and metabolism. She embraces an approach to getting healthy that includes listening to your body and throwing dietary dogma out the window where it belongs. You can also find Elizabeth on Facebook.
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Carrie says
July 29, 2013 at 10:53 amVery cool. My favorite before bed treat is a cup of weak hot cocoa, made with raw milk, coconut oil, and a dash of salt. So good~!
Healy Real Food Vegetarian says
July 29, 2013 at 11:16 amYum! Sounds delish!
Tracy says
July 29, 2013 at 3:04 pmMy nutritionist recommends I eat more salt – but it’s GOT to be sea salt or other natural non-processed salt. It’s the processing of regular table salt that makes it bad for you (anti-caking agents added, all the stuff that’s good for you is stripped away) not the actual real salt itself.
Carrie M says
July 29, 2013 at 4:25 pmI have been using this for about 3 weeks and it seems to be working, sleeping deep enough to dream when before I would toss and turn all night. http://butterbeliever.com/how-to-fall-back-asleep/ a recipe for “Sleepy Dust” with salts and sugars.
Healy Real Food Vegetarian says
July 29, 2013 at 4:37 pmThat’s great Carrie! I’ve seen that post from butter believer, it’s a good one!
Liza says
July 31, 2013 at 7:56 amSuper interesting! Thank you, but I’d love to see the sources for what you claim! (especially to defend to when talking to skeptics, (i expect to find many on this topic!)).
Healy Real Food Vegetarian says
July 31, 2013 at 8:21 amThere are sources listed throughout the article. Every time you see a link labeled ‘Source’ in the article, click on that and it will bring you to the source.
Kate says
August 3, 2013 at 8:47 amFor an evening snack, I love fresh cucumber with salt. Cut the cucumber into wedges, salt, eat. Adding a few raw walnuts to the plate aids the satisfaction, as well. I tend to sleep well (or at least a little better) after this snack.
Spencer says
November 11, 2013 at 6:14 pmIt’s hard to eat cucumber’s without salt (kosher).
Elle C. says
August 7, 2013 at 4:43 pmHow important is iodide? Are there better sources to get it from than commercial salt?
tash says
December 15, 2013 at 7:56 amReal Salt (a company that sells salt mined in Utah) is said to have natural iodine. You can also eat more sea vegetables. I know you can get powdered kelp that you sprinkle on like seasoning, a tiny bit of it has a TON of iodine. You can also buy iodine drops that some people will put one or two drops in a glass of water 2-3 times a week. Google Dr Jarvis, he talked about it in his books.
Tony says
January 13, 2016 at 11:00 amiodine u can get from shrimps.. extre from its shell..
Debbie Collingwood says
August 31, 2013 at 7:21 amWould the pink Himalayan Salt work in places of the Celtic salt? Why specifically the Celtic also please. Thanks.
Healy Real Food Vegetarian says
August 31, 2013 at 7:27 amYes himalayan salt is also a good choice.
Kerri says
September 5, 2013 at 4:09 pmI have issues waking frequently but not having difficulty going back to sleep. The frequent wakings keep me from getting enough deep sleep. Will salt help? If so how much? I never salt my food and will rub salt off of chips or pretzels on the rare occasion I eat them. Thanks!
Rowie says
December 8, 2013 at 1:21 pmHi, nice article and good that this information is getting out. But I would like some more emphasis on natural sea salt. It makes a huge difference, although they may be small in number the synergy and balance is key. Please look up info on sea salt therapy and what it can do, many illnesses dissapear! Use Celtic Sea Salt.
Thanks
Healy Real Food Vegetarian says
December 8, 2013 at 1:29 pmRowie, the article already mentions to only use sea salt or good quality himalayan salt because regular table salt has additives. There is even a link to a brand recommendation of celtic sea salt. See above.
Ron says
January 1, 2015 at 5:36 pmAt one time my sodium level was so low, I had two grande mal seizures a month a part while cycling. I noticed that during this time I was also waking up numerous times in the middle of the night to use the washroom. When I got back onto a regular salt intake by taking the appropriate electrolytes when cycling, I no longer had seizures and I also started sleeping much better.
Angela A Stanton, Ph.D. says
July 19, 2015 at 5:52 pmI enjoyed reading the article. I followed the sources and some are completely confused and at least one of them (the one on the oxytocin connection) is completely wrong but then it is a 20-year old study so it is forgivable. The urinary sodium and potassium paper was amazing… they talk “sodium” of over 4 grams (that is 10 grams salt) and the USDA has 2350 mg (not gram, in gram 2.350 gr) upper limit on “sodium” and not salt. It seems that is one article the review system let through without understanding what they wrote about–which I can relate to since as a reviewer myself I know that of 3 reviewers 2 must agree to not publish but if only one understands the complexity of the paper (or language) and that the study is wrong, the paper will still publish no matter what. That is one bad paper and one bad findings! While your article is enjoyable and makes some good points (with salt most certainly and also the evening carbs) the reasoning is a tad faulty. And finally simple carbs creates a sugar crash in the middle of the night so while the suggestion of a bit of complex carbs is great, and salted nuts are protein with fiber so even the dessert would sound fine, except for the fact that we now know that sugar is bad and toxic (read Lustig: Fat Chance). So definitely avoid sweets… just go for complex carbs with salt or a glass of milk and salt. In the “Migraine Sufferers who Want to be Cured” group on Facebook we discuss evening salt regularly and it is part of the Stanton Migraine Protocol(TM). Great article–I wish the sources were better picked to support an otherwise great recommendation!
Angela
Sam says
February 2, 2016 at 6:38 amGoing to try this.I am up most nights with a lot of mucus in my throat and nose.I know sea salt works for flushing,why not drink a little at night.Will let you know how it worked out
Steven Scheeler says
April 1, 2017 at 9:27 amI’m thinking of linking to your article, but I I read in another article that salt is bad for sleep.
Here is the article. http://thepaleodiet.com/easy-with-that-salt-shaker-the-effect-of-dietary-salt-on-sleep/
Your view on this.
Hannah Healy says
April 1, 2017 at 3:45 pmThe studies that they link to in that article refer to a high sodium diet. There’s a huge difference between table salt and sodium in processed foods and sea salt. Sea salt or Himalayan salt does not have the same detrimental effects that table salt and high sodium things (like MSG) does. So stick with sea salt 🙂
Justin Goldberg says
April 28, 2019 at 7:39 pmThe salt sugar thing is interesting. It’s similar to oral rehydration therapy too.
This study says otherwise regarding salt and it’s effect on sleep, but it isn’t worded too well:
https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0011/ea0011p590
Peter says
April 16, 2018 at 3:20 amI was told by a Shaman to drink ½ a glass of salted water and leave the remaining water beside the bed.
He said you’ll dream like crazy. Apparently the salted water in the glass keeps its connection with the water you injested and causes you to dream.
I’ve never really dreamed much before but now I am getting these crazy, vivid dreams that I can control.
It’s been quite a gift!
Varia says
July 11, 2018 at 8:41 pmWhere are the studies saying salt is good for you? I don’t see the studies. There are studies on nutritionfacts.org however, that says salt is not good for you. You get all the salt you need from vegetables.