7 Types of Food for Better Sleep

When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, the little things do matter, like the food you eat. There are sleep inducing foods that can significantly make a difference in the lives of perennially sleep-deprived individuals.

As much as there are certain types of foods that help you slim down, there are also foods that bring on sleep. With your busy schedule, getting some quality sleep is hard to come by given the many distractions. But thank nature for foods that help you sleep through the night.

Munch on these foods before going to bed for better sleep:

Snack on some pistachios

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When watching a movie before going to sleep, what do you snack on? If you wonder which food, eaten as bedtime snack, may help promote sleep, a handful of pistachios is the answer. It will give you a lot of health benefits, and among them is quality sleep. It’s packed with protein, vitamin B6, and magnesium which can give you better sleep at night. Magnesium is also an effective food for insomnia. However, remember not to eat too many because its calories can keep you awake.

Sip some passionflower tea

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Herbal tea is considered as one of the drinks that help you sleep because they tend to calm you down. Aside from chamomile tea, you may also try drinking some passionflower tea before snoozing at night. It has antioxidants like apigenin which calms you and reduces your anxiety. One study found that adults who had passionflower tea before bedtime experienced a significantly better sleep.

Aside from these sleeping benefits, this tea also boosts your immune system and helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Turkey’s Thanksgiving effect

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In countries that celebrate Thanksgiving Day, there's what they call Thanksgiving food coma wherein people tend to sleep more because of the amount of food they ate. But experts say that it could actually be the turkey. If you want to know what foods are high in melatonin, experts swear by turkey and other poultry products. They are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that gets processed into serotonin and melatonin, the two main chemicals responsible for dozing off. The protein in turkey is also known to promote the feeling of tiredness. Other protein-rich foods that make you tired and sluggish are also good options.

Munch on some sweet potato toast

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Looking for some midnight snack? Try some sweet potato toast instead of grabbing those unhealthy chips. Sweet potatoes are known to have potassium, calcium, and magnesium. These can help you relax at night which may induce sleep.

Sleep-inducing fruits and veggies

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Fruits and vegetables really have amazing benefits, and as it turns out, these are also foods that help you sleep through the night.

The top fruit is kiwi, which is low-calorie and very nutritious. Kiwis are full of serotonin, vitamin C, folate, and antioxidants that are seen to promote sleep and help regulate the sleep cycle. Other fruits that may be considered foods for insomnia patients are berries, cherries, prunes, raisins, and plums. Tart cherry juice is a good source of melatonin and will aid in regulating your internal clock. Studies found that adults with insomnia who drank eight ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day for two weeks slept an hour and a half longer and experienced relief.

In the veggie family, kale leads the pack. This leafy green is rich in calcium which helps sleep hormones go to work. Kale helps the brain use tryptophan to produce more of the sleep hormone melatonin. Other greens loaded with calcium are spinach and collards.

Honey for the night

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If you’re craving for something sweet, let it be honey. The natural sugar or glucose in honey slightly raises insulin that allows tryptophan to enter the brain easily. It also lowers the levels of orexin that make you alert, putting alertness in reverse. Mix honey with chamomile tea before bed and you’ll increase your chances of having a relaxing sleep.

Oatmeal for dinner

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Oatmeal is a breakfast staple, but when consumed at night, it can improve your chances at getting more quality sleep. Similar to grains, oatmeal is high in carbohydrates that are known to promote drowsiness. They raise your blood sugar naturally, which in turn makes you feel sleepy. It also contains magnesium that helps one stay asleep. Oats are also known to be a good source of melatonin. Pair your bowl of oatmeal with milk, which is also a source of tryptophan.

There are many other sleep inducing foods that you can try if you want to sleep faster and better. There’s banana, cheese, hummus, soy-based foods, fiber-rich foods, yogurt, eggs, pretzels, etc. Consequently, there are also foods that prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep which you should also be aware of.

It is important to ensure that these sleep-promoting foods work well with whatever diet you are trying to maintain or is consistent with doctor-prescribed diet for your overall health. Take note that other than the food you eat before you sleep, other elements affect the quality of your sleep. To ensure that you’re getting the slumber you deserve, invest on the Premium Touch mattress. So munch on, relax on your bed, and have a good night.