Seeking to rid yourself of sleepless nights? Improve your sleep habits? Fall asleep more soundly and efficiently?
If you’re looking to naturally improve your body’s ability to rest and generally boost your health, try eating more shut-eye-inducing foods and avoiding simple carbohydrates, including white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes and pastries. Remember, other products such as caffeine, chocolate, many teas and other products such as energy drinks can also make sleep elusive.
Look to the following if you are seeking relaxation-inducing foods and naturally occurring products that will help you eat your way to better sleep:
Honey
Honey contains glucose that lowers levels of orexin, a neurotransmitter that raises levels of alertness. A teaspoon of honey before sleep can also help to re-stock our liver with glycogen – the fuel we need to make it through the night without food.
The natural sugars in honey also encourage sleep by carrying tryptophan (which helps regulate our body clock) through the bloodstream and into the brain.
Kiwis
Kiwis are rich in serotonin and antioxidants, which can improve sleep quality when consumed before bed. Low in calories, they contain a significant amount of nutrients along with folate, potassium and several trace minerals, fibres and antioxidants.
Consuming kiwis may benefit your digestive health, reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol. Researchers seem to think their sleep-inducing properties could be related to their high amount of serotonin – an important neurotransmitter synthesised by the pineal gland to create melatonin, the all-important sleep hormone.
Oily fish
Abundant in brain-boosting nutrients, oily fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, anchovies and herring are linked to improved sleep patterns and quality. Whilst your body produces certain essential nutrients naturally, the only way to boost your supply of omega-3s is to consume them. Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish help sleep by regulating the body’s production of serotonin.
Fish is also rich in vitamin B6, which promotes the production of sleep hormones in conjunction with high levels of DHA. Vitamin B6 can help your body produce melatonin, which works with the body’s circadian rhythms by sending signals to the brain that it is time to rest, helping you relax and diminishing levels of other hormones that stimulate alertness and lower body temperature and blood pressure.
Bananas
As a great, all-round fruit that is both nutritious and delicious, bananas are high in magnesium and potassium, important minerals linked to muscle and nerve relaxation and essential to achieving a deep night’s sleep.
Bananas are also a natural sedative, as they contain tryptophan. Grab a banana before you go to sleep to benefit from this natural mineral hit and alleviate any feelings of hunger before your head hits the pillow.
Walnuts
Bedtime is a fine time to eat a handful of walnuts. That’s because these nuts contain a few critical compounds (including melatonin, serotonin, and magnesium) that promote and regulate sleep.
Research has revealed that incorporating walnuts and walnut oil into your diet can lower resting blood pressure and blood pressure response to stress. Maintaining low-stress levels is vital to uninterrupted, healthy sleep patterns.
Turkey
As a staple on every Christmas or Thanksgiving table, turkey is not only nutritious but another good source of tryptophan – which is why it earns its spot on this list of great sleep-inducing foods. However, if you are looking for another alternative, chicken breast or roast is also high in this vital amino acid.
Take your pick of poultry and get creative with chicken, turkey, duck and other protein-packed favourites to help support your body’s natural ability to sleep soundly and deeply at night.
