Sunny Health

Getting sufficient, good-quality sleep in a fast-paced society is a challenge, more so if it is hampered by nightly disruptions by a full bladder. Many people who suffer from this mild disturbance may shrug it off as a mild disturbance and attribute it to drinking too much water before bedtime, or to ageing. However, it could be an indication of potentially serious health issues. Moreover, frequent disruption of sleep can eventually lead to problems arising from poor sleep quality.

According to a study by the Nagasaki University in Japan, a high salt intake could be the reason for these nightly trips to the loo. While larger studies will have to be conducted to further validate the results, it is no news that a diet high in sodium intake is bad for general health in any case and should be avoided. Certainly, kidneys and excess sodium do not get along with each other, and excess sodium intake is often a recipe for kidney stones and kidney disease.

If you often dine out or consume processed foods (i.e. canned food, preserved food, instants, basically food that was made to be kept and is not fresh like bacon and ham), your sodium intake may well be on the high side. The good news is that reducing sodium intake isn't difficult.

The most obvious tip would be to cut down on the processed foods. Food is usually processed not only for better taste, but also for a longer shelf life. A far-off expiry date is often a pretty good indication that a lot of preservatives have gone into its preservation, which means it would have high sodium content.

Always read the food labels; they will list the sodium content. Compare and contrast products from different brands and get the one with the lowest sodium content. In Singapore, the healthier choice label is a pretty reliable indicator and you may count on it to help you make an informed choice. Nevertheless, the label does state "healthier choice", not "healthy choice". So just because a certain brand of cup noodles has the label does not mean you can make healthy daily meals out of it! It simply means it is healthier compared to other cup noodles.

Taste isn't an accurate indicator of sodium content. A product that isn't particularly salty does not necessarily equate to low sodium levels. Food labels are your best friend!

If you're eating out, do some research on the sodium content of the eatery's dishes. The eatery's website may carry information on the ingredients and nutrition content. With more Singaporeans being health-conscious these days, more eating places are becoming upfront about the contents in their food. There are also some that will highlight healthier dishes or let you choose to have less salt and sugar in your meal.

Do consume more fresh fruit and vegetables, these always have much lower natural sodium compared to meat.

For those who adore salty food, everything may taste bland when you embark on your less-salt diet. However, taste preferences can be quickly unlearned. It takes about 2 months for your taste buds to get used to it. Eventually, you'll start finding your old salty favourites too salty for you, and that's good news for your kidneys, and quite possibly the solution to deep, uninterrupted sleep.