Are you not able to sleep properly at night? Do you frequently wake up at midnight due to bloating and acid reflux? There can be tons of reasons that might be disrupting your sleep, and one among them can be the food you eat. My friend, let me tell you that a healthy diet makes sure that our mental and physical health is perfectly balanced. Thus, when we talk about food that can help you sleep better, it should be foods that are rich in minerals like magnesium and potassium, which can stimulate the production of hormones like serotonin, melatonin, and tryptophan, and packed with several other micro-nutrients and healthy minerals.
These hormones play a significant role in improving sleep as they are responsible for the internal sleep cycle, stress, and regulating other brain functions during sleep. Therefore, let’s find out some of the best foods that can help you sleep better, along with foods that you should avoid before sleep.
8 Awesome Foods to Help You Have a Better Sleep
1. Almonds Rich In Melatonin And Magnesium
Almonds are a superb choice if you want to have better sleep because they are high in melatonin and magnesium. Melatonin is a hormone that is good for better sleep and improves its cycle. Besides, magnesium regulates blood sugar while you sleep.
It helps switch from adrenaline to rest and digest the cycle. Besides, almonds also have a quantity of GABA that helps calmness and reduces stress and anxiety for better sleep.
2. Herbal Teas Are Fabulous Choice For Sleep
Herbal teas are considered one of the great beverages for overall health benefits. These are packed with anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant properties that are beneficial for our receptors. Besides, herbal teas consist of chamomile, which is a calming ingredient for our nervous system. Therefore, herbal teas can be preferred for both day and night and can be a good substitute for caffeine.
3. Figs- Packed Minerals For Sleep
Another great food that you can include in your diet to improve sleep is figs, which are rich in minerals like magnesium, melatonin, serotonin, fiber, and tryptophan. While magnesium promotes sleep quality and its duration, serotonin can enhance mood and lower cholesterol levels.
Moreover, tryptophan improves sleep by helping the brain regulate the sugar properly in the body. Further, serotonin, the ingredient, is known to regulate the sleep cycle and manage insomnia.
4. Pistachios Are a Great Source Of Melatonin
Melatonin is an essential mineral that promotes better relaxation and sleep. Besides, also helps in healing all physical, mental healing, and autoimmune disorders. Thus, pistachios are the nuts that have the highest amount of melatonin among all the nuts.
Apart from this, pistachios contain Vitamin B, which helps in regulating sleeping patterns and reducing stress. Moreover, eating pistachios before bed can increase tryptophan levels in the brain, increasing the production of serotonin and ultimately leading to reduced stress and better sleep.
5. Bananas Are Excellent Source Of Magnesium And Potassium
Bananas can be great for having a combination of magnesium and potassium, which helps in relaxing overstressed and tense muscles. Besides, bananas contain important tryptophan that increases the production of key brain-calming hormones. Moreover, magnesium helps in maintaining GABA levels, which is a significant hormone for restful sleep. Therefore, adding bananas to your diet can help you sleep better.
6. Enjoy Cottage Cheese With Whatever You Love To Eat
Cottage cheese consists of tryptophan and amino acids that help stimulate the production of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter linked to better sleep. Also, cottage cheese provides nutrients like proteins and calcium that are easily digestible, so you will not face any problems of bloating and indigestion, which are common problems while sleeping. Therefore, add some cottage cheese with bananas, blueberries, bread, or any other food that you love to improve your sleep.
7. Balance Your Sleep With Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a great source of magnesium and potassium to increase melatonin production and slowly energize your body at night to have a long duration of sleep. Besides, the magnesium in sweet potatoes can help you relax, feel good, and calm to have a better sleep. Moreover, the potassium in sweet potatoes can help regulate your heartbeat while sleeping at night. Therefore, if you want to have better sleep, start adding sweet potatoes to your soups, curry, and salads instead of regular white potatoes.
8. Kiwi With High Serotonin Content
Apart from bananas, Kiwis are another great fruit that is nestled with high serotonin content, which is essential for better relaxation and better sleep. Moreover, the amount of melatonin in Kiwi is around 24 g, which makes it great for circadian rhythm.
Besides, studies have found that kiwi can reschedule your sleep cycle, which will make sure to bring a balance to your sleeping routine. Hence, having Kiwis in your fruit salads or drinking a glass of juice can help you get better sleep.
Foods You Should Avoid Before Going To Bed
Apart from foods that can help you to get better sleep every night, you must know about foods to avoid for good sleep. So, before bed, you must make sure that you do not consume high-fat and protein-rich foods such as red meats or deep-fried foods.
Moreover, if you suffer from bloating and acid refluxes, it is better to say no to spicy foods and heavy meals. Furthermore, avoid beverages like caffeine, alcohol, and citrus fruits like lemon, oranges, etc.
Have A Peaceful Sleep
Doctors and medical professionals recommend to take 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night. This is because lack of sleep can have a serious impact on mental as well as physical health. Poor sleep can affect your ability to concentrate and respond and can alter moods. Therefore, it is important to have proper and good sleep. Hence, through this blog, you came to know about the foods that can help you sleep better, along with foods you should avoid before bed. So, hopefully, by incorporating the right food and making changes to your diet, you can have a better sleep.
References
- Weiss A, Xu F, Storfer-Isser A, Thomas A, Ievers-Landis CE, Redline S. The association of sleep duration with adolescents’ fat and carbohydrate consumption. Sleep 2010;33:1201–9. [PMC free article]
- Patel SR. Reduced sleep as an obesity risk factor. Obes Rev 2009;10(Suppl 2):61–8. [PubMed]
