Can't sleep? These foods will help you to get some good sleep

Can't sleep? Try adjusting your food intake before you hit the sheets

“A lot of people know what not to eat — a heavy meal, spicy foods, caffeine,” says YouBeauty Sleep Expert, Shelby Freedman Harris, Psy.D. “But I have a lot of patients who snack all night or don’t eat at all before bed, both of which can disrupt sleep. They don’t know that a small snack is okay and which foods.

We already know which edibles to avoid before bedtime — namely, alcohol, coffee and sugary desserts (all the good stuff!). But it might surprise you to learn that there actually are some foods that you can eat for a better slumber. You just need to know what nutrients to look for in the grocery aisles.

Tryptophan is an amino acid which is associated with going into a food coma during Thanksgiving dinner. It converts to serotonin and melatonin, the brain’s natural relaxation chemicals. Aside from turkey, it’s actually found in a slew of other foods, too. “Things like bananas, nuts, seeds, honey and eggs typically have more tryptophan in them”.

Of course, if you have chronic insomnia, loading your plate with these sleep-inducing foods won’t cure it. But if you have a little trouble settling down at night, adjusting your diet is worth a shot. Kirkpatrick says her “perfect sleep menu” includes a small portion of 100 percent whole grain pasta with turkey meatballs for dinner and a handful of nuts for a light snack before bed.

 Here are a few sleep-promoting bedtime snacks you can nibble on an hour before you hit the hay:

1. Banana and nuts.

 Have half of a banana with a handful of your favorite nuts. “You’re getting tryptophan and carbs,” says Freedman. “It’s a great mix.”

2. Crackers and peanut butter.

 Get a few whole wheat crackers and spread on some all-natural peanut butter for a mix of complex carbs and protein with tryptophan.

3. A bowl of cereal.

 The milk contains tryptophan and the whole-grain cereal adds the complementary complex carbs. Just be sure to ditch the Captain Crunch — avoiding sugar helps prevent a sleep-disruptive blood sugar crash during the night.

4. Cheese stick.

 Munching on a low-fat cheese stick before bed supplies tryptophan. Plus, a lean protein can leave you calm and less frazzled while keeping your blood sugar on an even keel during the night, according to Kirkpatrick.

Try to have a dinner atleast 2 hours before getting to bed as getting to bed tummy full will disrupt your sleep.

 

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