There’s no denying the importance of a good night’s sleep. Failing to get a full seven to eight hours of rest can leave one feeling irritable, distracted, and above all exhausted. But that’s not all—many studies have shown that people who regularly get less sleep than they should be getting are at an increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, and diabetes. Sleeplessness can also kill one’s sex drive, leading to relationship problems.
Thankfully, there are ways to fight insomnia. That fight starts with your diet and eating foods that increase melatonin levels and make it easier to get a solid night’s sleep…
1. Walnuts
The walnut is one of the best foods you can eat right before bed. That’s because eating walnuts causes the human brain to secrete melatonin, the chemical responsible for regulating the body’s internal clock. Research has shown that walnuts contain enough melatonin to have a substantial impact on anyone currently struggling with sleeplessness.
Of course, it’s worth noting that walnuts alone can’t cure a serious bout of insomnia. If you find yourself tossing and turning for hours at a time more than once or twice a week, you should consult your doctor.
2. Almonds
Almonds, which contain lots of protein and taste delicious, are a great snack at any time of the day (and they make a particularly great addition to any trail mix). But they’re especially effective right before bed, as they contain the sleep-enhancing amino acid known as tryptophan. Almonds are also a good source of the nutrient magnesium, which has been shown to naturally relax our muscles and encourage a solid night’s rest.
So, if you’ve been struggling with sleep in recent days, reach for a handful of almonds shortly before going to bed.
3. Cheese
There’s no denying that cheese—if consumed in excess—can be a poor choice when trying to maintain a healthy body weight. But if eaten in moderation it’s actually a very nutritious food and it can actually help us get a good night’s sleep.
key is tryptophan, an amino acid that can be found in cheese. Tryptophan helps the human body produce serotonin, which helps regulate mood and can assist in making us fall asleep. That said, keep your pre-bed cheese snack to a single serving because fat – of which there’s a lot in cheese – can take a long time to digest.
4. Lettuce
Lettuce is always a healthy food choice when trying to maintain a healthy body weight, but it’s a particularly wise choice when battling insomnia. That’s because lettuce contains lactucarium, a substance with sedative powers.
There are many ways you can consume lettuce before bed. You can try a sandwich that’s heavy on the lettuce and low on meat, or you can make a light salad with other foods shown to help promote sleep (like walnuts, almonds, and cheese) – just make sure to skip the high-fat dressing.
5. Tuna
Like many of the other items on this list, tuna is a healthy diet choice that’s a great food option any time of the day. But it’s particularly great right before bed. That’s because tuna contains vitamin B6, which is critical in the production of melatonin – the sleep-inducing hormone that naturally comes on once darkness falls. Just make sure that if you’re eating tuna salad you avoid consuming copious amounts of high-fat mayonnaise right before bed. If you’re not a fan of tuna, other vitamin B6-heavy foods include chickpeas, bananas, and salmon.
6. White rice
white rice is a carbohydrate with a high glycemic index. That means it can cause our blood sugar and insulin levels to react in a way that promotes sleep. White rice is low in fat and calories, meaning eating it before bed won’t cause you to gain a lot of weight. The key, of course, is to avoid combining white rice with something that will cause you to gain weight (like butter or deep-fried meats). Instead, throw in some peas, kale, or some other kind of vegetable.
7. Cherry juice
We all know that cherries are delicious and make an excellent addition to any dessert or smoothie. But research shows they can also help us sleep. In one study people who drank cherry juice on a regular basis slept, on average, 84 minutes longer than people on placebo. That’s because cherry juice—and especially the tart variety—is an excellent source of both melatonin and the amino acid tryptophan, both of which can help promote sleep. That’s why sleep experts now recommend people struggling with insomnia to drink two glasses of tart cherry juice every day.
8. Cereal
Most of us turn to our favorite box of cereal after crawling out of bed. But new research shows that eating cereal is actually a great idea before turning in for the night. That’s because cereal contains lots of relatively low-fat and low-calorie carbohydrates that can cause blood sugar levels to act in a way that promotes sleep. They key, of course, is to get your hands on a low-sugar cereal made with whole grains—like buckwheat, oat and quinoa—so that your blood sugar levels remain steady and you won’t wake up in the middle of the night.
9. Chamomile tea
Chamomile is a daisy-like herb that’s been used in folk and traditional medicine for centuries. These days it’s often used to help insomniacs get over their sleep troubles. That’s because chamomile tea contains properties that make it a mild tranquilizer and sleep inducer, meaning it’s the perfect before-bed beverage. As if that’s not enough, chamomile tea has been shown to help with inflammation, muscle pain, menstrual problems, ulcers, skin wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis, and even hemorrhoids. Maybe that’s why it’s estimated that more than one million cups of chamomile tea are consumed each day.
10. Honey
Honey is fast becoming one of the most widely applicable foods in the world. Now, new research shows that honey can actually help us get a good night’s sleep. Recent studies have shown that, for sleep purposes, raw honey contains a perfect balance of fructose and glucose. In essence, this balance helps the liver produce a satisfactory amount of glycogen throughout the day and night, thereby promoting a restful sleep. Many other foods leave our body with less glycogen than it needs in the middle of the night, which can cause us to wake up and then toss and turn.
-activebeat.com
