Food

Eat Yourself to a Good Night’s Sleep

We all love a good night’s sleep, especially after a long day of work. There’s nothing like sleeping on beautifully comfortable organic bedding, as it’s clean and chemical-free. After a good workout like Yoga, you feel nice and relaxed. The only thing that’s missing is a tasty night snack!

Source: msn.com

Foods to Help You Sleep

Did you know that you can eat foods that will actually help you to sleep better? Here are some of the best nighttime foods that will make you doze off just a bit easier:

  • Cereal — No, we’re not talking about Froot Loops, but we’re thinking about healthy, well-balanced breakfast cereals. Some carbs are good to help your body relax, and the protein in the milk will help to feed your tired muscles as you doze off. Milk also contains tryptophan, which helps you to get to sleep.
  • Passionfruit — It may not be easy to find this tropical fruit where you live, but it’s definitely a good one to look for if you’ve got problems sleeping at night. Passionfruit is loaded with a nutrient called somniferum, which is known to help you sleep. It’s worth the effort of finding it if you need a good night’s sleep.
  • Bananas — When you have a hard time sleeping, it’s often the result of your muscles being unable to relax after a stressful day. Bananas help to counter this problem, as the potassium in the monkey fruits help relax your contracted muscles. The carbs and sugar in the fruit will elevate your blood sugar enough to release serotonin into your body, making you feel happy as you doze off to dreamland.
  • Cherry Juice –– Who knew that this tangy juice was so good for helping you to sleep? Cherries boost your brain’s production of melatonin – the chemical that helps you feel tired at night – more than any other fruit on the planet. With just half a glass of cherry juice a night, you’ll drift off a lot more easily.
  • Warm Milk — There’s a reason that your mother used to give you a cup of warm milk and honey when you couldn’t sleep at night. Milk contains tryptophan, which helps you to sleep. There’s not enough of this chemical in the milk to actually make you drowsy, so science still isn’t sure quite why milk works to help you sleep. However, you know that the warming effect of a cup of slightly sweet milk definitely does the trick, so it’s worth trying if you need to doze off after a long day.
  • Fish — Who wants to eat a piece of fish for their night’s snack? Not me!  Interestingly enough, fish contains lots of Vitamin B6, which helps to trigger the production of melatonin in your body. In order to get to sleep more easily, it may be a good idea to have a bit of tuna, halibut, or salmon before bed.
  • Chickpeas — Chickpeas are the primary ingredient used to make hummus, so it may be time to serve up a bit of this Mediterranean treat as an evening delight. The peas are loaded with melatonin-inducing Vitamin B6, and you’ll find that even a small amount of the peas will do the trick. However, make sure your hummus is garlic-free, or your stomach will keep you up for hours.
  • Yoghurt — A bowl of yoghurt in the evening is a good way to fill your stomach while making your body drowsy. There’s lots of calcium in yoghurt, and calcium is a vital nutrient that can help you to get to sleep. A lack of calcium is believed to contribute to sleep problems, so it’s a good idea to have a bit more yoghurt at night!

 

 

About the author

andy

Some people get lucky and are born with fit, toned bodies. Andy Peloquin is not one of those people... Fitness has come hard for him, and he's had to work for it. His trials have led him to becoming a martial artist, an NFPT-certified fitness trainer, and a man passionate about exercise, diet and healthy living. He loves to exercise--he does so six days a week--and loves to share his passion for fitness and health with others.

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