Foods for a Good Night’s Sleep

Want to get more shut-eye? Take a look at your diet. Eating the right foods in the hours before you hit the hay may help you fall asleep faster, say experts, and even improve the quality of your sleep. Keep reading for your get-sleepy grocery list, and remember to stop noshing two hours before bedtime to give your body enough time to properly digest.Craving a salty snack before bed? Turn to lightly salted edamame, says Dr. Dalton-Smith–especially if you’re dealing with menopause-related symptoms. The natural estrogen-like compounds found in soy-based products can be very beneficial in controlling those nighttime hot flashes that can disturb your sleep, she says. If it’s crackers and dip you’re craving, try making this easy edamame recipe: In a food processor, blend together 2 cups of shelled, cooked edamame with 1 tsp salt, a drizzle of olive oil and 1 clove garlic (optional) until smooth. If you have trouble staying asleep at night, it may be because you didn’t eat a pre-bedtime snack high in protein, or perhaps your snack was too high in simple, high-sugar carbohydrates, like cake and candy. The problem with simple carbs is that they can put you on a ‘sugar roller coaster’ and drop your blood sugar while you’re sleeping, causing you to wake at 2 or 3 in the morning, says Dr. Teitelbaum. A better bet? Eat an egg, cheese, nuts or other protein-rich snack instead, he says, so you can not only fall asleep, but stay asleep.

What you eat can influence how you sleep. Therefore, it is important to include in meals the types of food that calm down body and mind. Especially at dinnertime foods leading to a restful sleep are important. Such foods are lean proteins, herbs, and nuts. All three types can easily be incorporated into meals. The tryptophan found in lean proteins such as turkey, chicken, fish and low-fat cheese, causes feelings of sleepiness and relaxation. Herbs like sage and basil ease tension making it easier to cast worries aside that otherwise would keep you awake. Finally, nuts including walnuts, almonds, and cashews, as well as nut butters, increase serotonin levels just like the tryptophan in lean proteins, causing a relaxed and sleepy feeling.

 

Key Points:

  • 1Basil makes a great additive to pastas and pizzas while also easing the tensions that could hinder sleep
  • 2Turkey, chicken, low-fat cheese, and fish will make you feel sleepy and relaxed after eating.
  • 3Nuts are keen additives that provide superior heart nutrition when supplemented with healthy fats.


Combining foods that are high in tryptophan with healthy, complex carbohydrates also improves sleep.

Read the full article at: https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/foods-good-night%E2%80%99s-sleep

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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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