Do you have problem falling asleep, or toss and turn in the middle of the every night ? Awaken very early, or find yourself not feeling rejuvenated in the morning? You are not alone: many people struggle with falling and staying asleep.
What does food have to do with sleep? Our nutritional status and the food we eat always influence our sleep. Luckily, some foods actively aid falling asleep and staying asleep.
They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones – serotonin and melatonin – flowing.
The following are very tasty and at the same time aid sleep:
1. Milk and cheese (dairy foods). Your mother was right after all to give you a cup of warm milk before sending you off to bed. Cheese like Cheddar, Gruyere and Swiss are especially rich in tryptophan.
2. Turkey. Turkey contains tryptophan. To get the most from the tryptophan in turkey, eat a slice of white turkey meat on a slice of whole-wheat bread in the middle of the evening.
3. Oatmeal and cherries both contain a substance called melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring substance in the body that regulates sleep. So adding additional melatonin on top of what you naturally produce seems to help many people sleep well.
It may be a favorite for breakfast, but you might want to pair a bowl of oatmeal with some coffee to make it through the day. "Grains in oatmeal trigger insulin production much like whole-grain bread," says Cynthia Pasquella, CCN, CHLC, CWC. "They raise your blood sugar naturally and make you feel sleepy. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which relaxes the body and helps you fall asleep."
The best way to get a good night's sleep is to increase your melatonin intake, recommends Dudash. Cherries, along with nuts and oats, are a natural source of melatonin and, when eaten regularly, can help regulate your sleep cycle.
4. Bananas.
They are inexpensive and readily available. They are practically a sleeping pill in a peel. In addition to a bit of soothing melatonin and serotonin, bananas contain magnesium, a muscle relaxant. Bananas will also contribute to release tryptophan and serotonin. The magnesium and potassium in bananas serve as muscle and nerve relaxants. Dudash says that the vitamin B6 found in the fruit also converts tryptophan into serotonin, increasing relaxation even more. 5. Chamomile Tea has a mild sedative effect when you consume it. This has to do with certain herbs that are present in it. To some however it may induce coughing.
6. Honey.
Drizzle a little in your warm milk or herb tea. Lots of sugar is stimulating, but a little glucose tells your brain to turn off orexin, a recently discovered neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness. "Be careful not to overdo it," warns Pasquella. "One tablespoon for a good night's sleep is plenty." 7. Almonds
Just a handful of these and you'll be dozing off in no time. Pasquella says almonds contain tryptophan and magnesium, which both help to naturally reduce muscle and nerve function while also steadying your heart rhythm. 8. Whole-Grain Bread. A piece of toast with your tea and honey will release insulin, which helps tryptophan get to your brain, where it’s converted to serotonin and quietly murmurs “time to sleep.”
9. Dark Chocolate
Don't worry - you can eat chocolate day and night (whew!). Although milk chocolate is a stimulant, dark chocolate contains serotonin, which relaxes your body and mind. Not to mention the other health benefits dark chocolate has, too.
These 9 yummies are the basic main of what helps one (including me) sleep better.
What you should avoid is eating very heavy meals right before bedtime or fatty meals. Fatty meals from greasy or fried types of foods will create havoc with your digestive system, causing your stomach to grumble and may even cause you acid reflux problems at night. Other foods that can create a problem both with acid reflux and digestion are those foods that are spicy, and seasoned very heavily.
Stumbled upon your blog via Facebook. This is an interesting post. Good to know there's plenty to choose from for 'sleep inducers'. I'll most likely opt for bananas cos it's my favorite. But it seems to be a Jekyll-and-Hyde thing. I've read somewhere that bananas are a good source of energy, specially resorted to by athletes for that added push.
ReplyDeleteHave a good day. Blessings!