Searching for the best foods to eat before bed to improve your sleep? You’ve reached the right place. Many people find it hard to get a good night’s sleep and this issue is more common than you think.
Although factors like a bad sleeping environment, stress, and medical issues are the common causes of poor sleep patterns, the kind of food you consume before bed can also play a role in the quality of your sleep.
While certain foods can aggravate conditions like indigestion which leads to poor sleep, there are other foods that actually help in inducing sleep. Given below are some of the best foods to enhance sleep quality.
10 Foods To Eat Before Bed To Enhance Your Sleep:
1. Walnuts
Walnuts help in the production of melatonin which is the hormone responsible for controlling your sleep-wake cycle.
It is called the sleep hormone since it calms your body to prepare it for sleep. Your body naturally produces melatonin but walnuts increase the blood levels of melatonin and help induce sleep faster.
So go ahead and munch on a couple of walnuts before you go to bed.
2. Almonds
Almonds are among my favorite foods to eat before bed. Like walnuts, almonds are another great source of melatonin. They contain tryptophan and magnesium which aids in steadying your heart rate and decreasing muscle function.
The magnesium present in almonds helps in regulating your blood sugar as you sleep and helps your body switch from its adrenaline cycle to the rest and digest cycle.
3. Kiwi
Kiwis contain the sleep-regulating brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin also helps in regulating your mood and improves digestion.
Kiwis are also rich in antioxidants which help in reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can interfere with proper sleep cycles. Kiwis are rich in nutrients like Vitamin C, potassium and they are also low in calories. Kiwis are underrated fruits and many experts suggest eating at least 1 kiwi every day because of its nutritional benefits.
If you want to know more about the nutritional benefits of different foods, you can find amazing food and nutrition advice on Modern Fit which will help you practice healthier eating habits.
4. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is one of the best teas which is recommended before sleep.
This tea contains apigenin, an antioxidant that helps promote sleepiness and reduces insomnia. It also helps in relieving stress and anxiety.
In fact, many people say that chamomile tea is a natural alternative to benzodiazepines which are prescription drugs designed to induce sleep. This tea should be consumed about 45 minutes before bed for maximum effectiveness.
If you like a snack together with your tea, you can try delta 8 gummies, which can also help to combat poor-quality sleep. Delta 8 is extracted from hemp, which is slowly being legalized all across the US.
5. Banana
Bananas are very nutritious as they are loaded with vitamins and minerals.
But many people don’t know that bananas can actually help you sleep better. They are rich in magnesium and magnesium helps maintain GABA levels (Gamma-Aminobutyric acid) which help calm the body to induce sleep.
Bananas also contain B6 which converts tryptophan to serotonin which controls melatonin levels in your body.
6. Tart Cherry Juice
Tart cherries are rich in melatonin and they increase melatonin levels in the body.
Apart from melatonin, they also contain magnesium which also helps induce sleep.
Several studies show that drinking tart cherry juice before bed can increase sleep time by an average of 90 minutes.
7. Fatty Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids which have a wide variety of health benefits.
Research says that regular intake of omega 3 fatty acids can help boost sleep quality and induce sleep faster. Fatty fish is also a great source of vitamin D which is linked to better sleep patterns.
8. Warm Milk
Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan which aids in the production of serotonin and thus promotes better sleep. It is also a good source of melatonin.
Warm milk also helps in better digestion and cleans out your system more efficiently.
Some proteins present in milk stimulate GABA receptors of the brain and this helps induce sleep.
9. Passionflower Tea
Drinking a cup of passionflower tea every night before bed is said to result in better relaxation and sleep.
This tea boosts GABA levels in the brain and this helps in inducing sleep faster by lowering brain activity. It also helps in managing mild sleep irregularities.
10. White Rice
This might seem like a surprise for you, but also rice is among the best foods to eat before bed. White rice is said to have a high glycemic index.
A high glycemic index helps in naturally increasing blood sugar and insulin levels which increases the effects of tryptophan in your brain.
Conclusion
If you’re having trouble falling asleep take a look at the kind of foods you consume before bed. Cut out the ones which are likely to affect your sleep and introduce ones that help induce sleep.
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