Salmon and honey boost tryptophan, an amino acid that supports sleep. Getty Images
Salmon and honey boost tryptophan, an amino acid that supports sleep. Getty Images
Salmon and honey boost tryptophan, an amino acid that supports sleep. Getty Images
Salmon and honey boost tryptophan, an amino acid that supports sleep. Getty Images

Honey, salmon, yoghurt and magnesium help you sleep, says expert Julie Mallon


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“Sleep in its purest form is a learnt behaviour; it’s not intuitive. If it were that easy, why do so many people have problems sleeping?” asks Julie Mallon, a health practitioner, sleep expert and founder of Nurture 2 Sleep in Dubai.

She believes that while many are awakening to the benefits of proper sleep, others are still falling short when it comes to snoozing. This is a pressing problem because the quality of our sleep has a profound impact on our mental and physical health.

Education, followed by action, is Mallon’s solution. The British consultant, podcast host and children’s author has weekly lectures centred around sleep topics with the world’s leading neuroscientists and will host a two-day sleep retreat at MGallery by Sofitel this weekend.

Improve your sleep tonight

Sleep trackers only tend to measure stillness rather than deep sleep, says Julie Mallon. Getty Images
Sleep trackers only tend to measure stillness rather than deep sleep, says Julie Mallon. Getty Images

Mallon is on a mission to help those who struggle to drop off at night and insists simple changes to daily behaviours can play a key role in helping to get a better night's sleep, such as exposing your eyes to sunlight as soon as you wake in the morning to set your biological clock properly at night-time.

Stretching exercises after getting out of bed is also hugely beneficial, if only for a few minutes because it releases the growth hormone, sending a signal to your brain to restore and repair at night.

Caffeinated drinks shouldn't be taken for 90 minutes after waking up
Julie Mallon,
sleep consultant

“People don’t understand the importance of light on our sleep. The way in which we wake up in the morning sets the tone for how we are going to sleep at night. Getting outside for five minutes and exposing the retina is so much more beneficial to being inside and standing by the window.

“We also know that sleep is dehydrating, so people should be having between 600 and 900 millilitres of water when they wake up. Caffeinated drinks, too, shouldn’t be taken straight away, but 90 minutes after waking up.”

She adds: “When we eat and what we eat is also very important. For adults, the recommendations are that we shouldn’t sleep for two to three hours after the meal.

“If you’re fasting or skipping dinner, I recommend taking a teaspoon of honey before going to bed because if you go to bed hungry, the brain will forage for food while you’re asleep. Honey is important because we know it crosses the blood-brain barrier easily, which then supports sleep, so it boosts the tryptophan, which is an important building block for melatonin.”

Sleeping apps and tricky tech

Mallon says that today’s “always-on” society is causing a distinct lack of good-quality sleep. Most experts agree that adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep a night, something many don’t achieve because of the nature of the fast-paced society we live in.

The rise in technology has enabled us to connect easily with anyone, almost anywhere, which often leads to excess scrolling on devices, usually just before bed, which can make falling asleep harder.

The gold standard for measuring sleep is polysomnography, a sleep study using electrodes
Julie Mallon

Technology has also enabled us to track our sleep, with dedicated apps and watches having the ability to monitor us throughout the night and provide results in the morning – although this is data that Mallon says you can’t always rely on.

“It’s not just duration, but also sleep quality that’s important. Apps don’t always measure accurately because they tend to only measure your stillness rather than the deep sleep itself. They can also create anxiety because one day it says you have had a great night sleep and the next it says you missed your target.

Technology is fantastic, but we need to be able to read our own body and know what makes us feel good and sleep well without a device telling us. Ultimately, the gold standard for measuring sleep is polysomnography where you go in and stay for a sleep study using electrodes that measure your true deep sleep and non-rapid and rapid eye movement sleep.”

Time for intervention

Mallon also believes that a public health initiative should be the next step in addressing sleep deprivation and its associated health concerns. “In terms of where the UAE is now as a country, we are taking sleep more seriously than ever before, but we need a public health initiative for it.”

The qualified gentle sleep coach began her career as a nurse and midwife in the UK, and says her years of experience working with children and in healthcare have enabled her to teach others about sleep, despite there being no regulations on people working in the emerging industry.

Julie Mallon will offer oxygen relaxation and an eye ritual at her sleep retreat in Dubai. Photo: Nurture 2 Sleep
Julie Mallon will offer oxygen relaxation and an eye ritual at her sleep retreat in Dubai. Photo: Nurture 2 Sleep

“It’s not regulated,” she says, “and it’s quite alarming that you can do a few hours online and call yourself a sleep consultant. It’s thanks to all my qualifications and work in child psychology, child development, sleep and nutrition that I do it, because all those elements have to be brought into sleep work – you cannot think about sleep in isolation.

Dubai sleep retreat

As part of her goal to educate and help people get a better night’s sleep, Mallon is hosting a two-day sleep retreat on Saturday and Sunday on Palm Jumeirah. The itinerary includes yoga, meditation and sleep-inducing spa therapies, such as oxygen relaxation and an eye sleep ritual. Participants can immerse themselves in the science of sleep and use evidence-backed strategies for better sleep, while learning about supplements, nutrition and lifestyle choices.

Mallon says: “The sleep retreat gives people the tools to take home. Ultimately, we aim to make it fun. It’s not about creating more anxiety because we’re not getting enough sleep, but informing you about things you can do, such as looking at your diet.

“For instance, magnesium is one of the supplements that everyone should be looking at as it’s an important building block of sleep. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 chemical reactions within the body. We should be getting it from our food, but it’s not possible any more because of how our food is farmed.

“Yoghurt is a great food to eat for sleep because it contains calcium, which is an important building block for tryptophan and melatonin. Salmon, too, contains tryptophan so it’s great because it boosts melatonin that helps you sleep.”

For more information on the MGallery x Nurture 2 Sleep retreat, visit www.nurture2sleep.com/Sleepretreat or email info@nurture2sleep.com

Company%20Profile
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Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

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While you're here
THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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The Saga Continues

Wu-Tang Clan

(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Sunday's fixtures
  • Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
  • Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
Updated: January 18, 2024, 8:38 AM`