How well do you sleep as a healthy eating expert?

Anna Hüsing is a nutritionist and gives us a very personal insight into her sleeping habits. She explains how good nutrition is linked to healthy sleep and gives us great tips for a sleep-friendly, balanced diet.

Table of Contents

1. Our expert: nutritionist Anna Hüsing
2. How well does the nutritionist sleep?
3. More tips and interesting facts about nutrition and sleep

1. Our expert: Nutrition professional Anna Hüsing

Our sleep depends on many different factors and even as an expert in the field you are not immune to a bad night. Anna Hüsing is a qualified nutrition and food scientist and currently works as a lecturer at the IST Study Institute in Düsseldorf. In our Podcast she told us what breakfast she starts the day with and how she manages to make her everyday life healthy and sleep-friendly.

2. How well does our food & nutrition expert sleep?

[An interview with Anna Hüsing]

Would you generally say that you sleep well?

Yes, definitely. I'm in bed by ten at the latest, sleep until six and then I jump out of bed like toast from the toaster. It's almost disgusting how well it works for me, but I'm really happy about it. Sometimes falling asleep doesn't work so well, then I get lost in my thoughts, but all in all I sleep really well.

Do you often have problems falling asleep?

Sometimes it takes a moment, but they are not long-term problems. Usually when I go through stressful phases, such as exam phases during my studies or a stressful time at work. I find it so mentally exhausting that I don't find it easy to relax.

Approximately how many hours a night do you sleep?

I always get a good 7 to 7.5 hours in when I sleep from around 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Most of the time I wake up a little before the alarm clock so that I can lie down for a few minutes and then I can get up really relaxed. It's really rare that I feel drained.

Are you more of a lark or an owl?

Probably a classic lark. I actually get off earlier than is necessary for my job because I can't do as much in the evenings after work because then everything slows down for me. I definitely use the morning for organizational things or anything that I really need the brains for. I also do housework or exercise in the morning. When I'm tired, I also get whiny - it's like when other people are hungry. In the evening there is usually not so much left.

Do you have a morning or breakfast routine?

So first I have to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth, then I wash my face and from then on it varies incredibly - including whether I want to have breakfast or not. Sometimes I really need a lot and sometimes a handful of nuts is enough and then I can't eat properly until two hours later. But I need my biggest meal in the morning or mid-morning.

What do you like to eat for breakfast?

Bread! I ate this as a child and like it that way too. I don't feel full after eating gruel or yoghurt and I know that I need the feeling of chewing to feel really full. There are different receptors that trigger satiety, and this doesn't just affect stomach distension. That's why I usually eat bread with spread.

Do you need a coffee to wake up?

I don't need it to be awake, so for me it's just enjoyment.

How did you decide to concentrate intensively or to deal with nutrition professionally?

I think I've always been curious. As a child, I always had a lunch with me, which I thought was really stupid at the time. All the children traded with each other because they had a chocolate bar or a granola bar or something else packaged. Unfortunately, I was never able to swap because me and my siblings always had a sandwich, i.e. a good sandwich and beautifully sliced ​​fruit and vegetables. My mom always prepared it with care so that we really had something with substance.

I think this is where the curiosity or even interest in differences in nutrition came from. Questions arise like: Why is a pepper important? Why does it have vitamin C and what is it? What do the different colors of peppers mean? I became really curious about what is in our diet and what nourishes us.

“Healthy eating” is not always easy to integrate into everyday life. What is your absolute favorite motivational tip?

If I have to decide how I should plan my next few days in terms of nutrition or exercise, then it can help to imagine that you now have to look after the body of your sister, mother, etc. watch out. Then ask yourself: How would I take care of this body and what would I give to this body? And why don't I actually do this for myself?

The body is not only my vehicle, I can also give something good back. Keeping this balance of give and take really motivates me to do something for myself and eat healthily.

3. More tips and interesting facts about nutrition and sleep

In our special podcast series about healthy eating you can learn even more about Anna Hüsing and find out exciting details about the important connection between sleep behavior and healthy eating. Click here for the podcast ➨

Greetings!