There is a number of factors that go into getting a better night’s sleep and one of them is food. Not all food is created equal when it comes to getting a good night’s rest but here is some food that can actually help.
Almonds
Try eating a handful of Almonds before going to bed can let your body feel tired faster. Almonds naturally contain high levels of magnesium, in fact 1 ounce serving has 19% of the recommended daily amount. Magnesium helps reduce inflammation, while also steadying your heart rhythm. Almonds are also arich source of sleeping-inducing tryptophan. There are very few foods that come as close to almonds in offering high levels of nutrients that are needed to help you sleep better which include protein, niacin, calcium, magnesium, and melatonin all of which can be found in a single almond.
If you want to try eating almonds before be it is recommended to eat about 1 serving which is 1 ounce or about 23 almonds in total.
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Bananas
Similar to the effects of almonds, Bananas are also packed with magnesium and potassium. Did you know that the peel of the banana contains 3x more magnesium than the fruit, try making banana tea to not only calm you but also give you that much needed magnesium.
Turkey
With Thanksgiving fast approaching and the onslaught of that dreaded food coma, which is most likely caused by that amount of food that you eat and not the actual Turkey. Tryptophan is a key ingredient in turkey which when it gets metabolized it turns into serotonin and melatonin two of the main chemicals that help with sleep.
Walnuts
As stated with the Turkey Walnuts also are a good source of tryptophan, this amino acid is sleep enhancing because it helps create serotonin and melatonin, once your brain gets a taste of this it is goodnight.
Melon
Dehydration has a major impact on how you sleep at night and not being properly hydrated leads to low energy levels overall. Eating watery fruits can help with your hydration thus getting a better night’s sleep.
This middle eastern spread is made from chickpeas, which of course has high levels of tryptophan that key ingredient in creating higher levels of serotonin and melatonin. So, if you are looking for a midnight snack, hummus might be the way to go.
Dairy
As the old saying goes about having a warm glass of milk if you can’t sleep, it is actually true but not with just warm milk. Any Dairy product like cheese yogurt have high levels of calcium which help the brain use tryptophan found in some of the previously mentioned foods.
Chamomile Tea
There is nothing like drinking a warm cup of tea when it is cold outside, just the warming feeling that you get is enough to make you relax and want to cuddle up. But drinking tea also increase glycine which helps relax nerves and acts as a mild sedative.
Rice
White rice in particular has high levels of glycine and as previously mentioned with chamomile tea. High levels of glycine can help relaxe your nerves and muscles.
Lettuce
Has a special ingredient in it called lactucarium, which acts as a sedative. So having a salad at dinner might help you get to sleep later that night.
