5 Foods That Will Help You Sleep at Night

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Sleep is essential for living a healthy life. Tossing and turning nonstop can lead to a variety of adverse health effects, such as an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among others. Sleeping disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, along with lifestyles that limit the amount of sleep you get per night, can cause you to feel groggy and irritable. Luckily, food might be your answer to catching some shuteye and sleeping peacefully at night. If you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, try one of these five foods below to help you get the rest your body deserves.

Chocolate

What else is there to say? It’s sweet, delicious, and the best pick-me-up after a long day. While dark chocolate does contain caffeine, it also contains serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that’s responsible for helping you feel more relaxed and tired. If you’re counting sheep at night, try eating a chocolate sleep aid. Just make sure it’s dark chocolate and not milk chocolate! Milk chocolate doesn’t contain serotonin and can actually make you feel more awake.

Furthermore, dark chocolate has many attractive health benefits that make this the perfect treat to eat day and night. It is high in antioxidants, which aid in cognition and memory formation, and also help reduce the risk of heart disease! So eat the chocolate!

Chamomile

Herbal teas, such as chamomile, is a great drink to sip on before bedtime. Chamomile tea is proven to improve sleep quality. It contains apigenin, an antioxidant that is responsible for making you feel tired and can reduce insomnia. This study even found that those who drank chamomile tea before bedtime fell asleep 15 minutes faster than those who did not drink chamomile tea and reported fewer instances of waking up during the night.

Along with the ability to whisk you away and into a solemn slumber, chamomile offers many additional benefits, such as:

●      Reduces symptoms of depression;

●      Improves skin health;

●      Boosts the immune system;

●      and Reduces inflammation that leads to diseases like cancer and heart disease!

Turkey

The fourth Thursday in November is one of the best days of the year. Why? Because it’s Thanksgiving! This means endless mounds of food, desserts, drinks, and conversations with friends, family, and loved ones. As you may know, turkey is often the centerpiece of every Thanksgiving Day meal, which means you’ve probably experienced the after-effects of eating turkey.

Have you ever realized how tired you were after indulging in your Thanksgiving meal? Filled tummies with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans? That’s because turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which causes the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin to increase in production. This increase in melatonin will make you feel more tired and will reduce the chances of you waking up in the middle of the night. So, before bed, try making turkey sandwiches or a turkey loaf for dinner!

Kiwi

One of nature’s greatest candies are kiwis. Kiwis are a delicious and nutritious fruit that are packed with healthy vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K. Additionally, they’re a great food to have if you’re having trouble sleeping! Packed with serotonin (just like dark chocolate) they help regulate your sleep cycle. Kiwis are also full of antioxidants, such as carotenoids and Vitamin C, which help reduce inflammation and promote sleep.

Along with these sleep-aiding benefits, kiwis also:

●      Improves digestion

●      Lowers cholesterol

●      Reduces inflammation

●      Fights heart disease

●      Clears out toxins

●      Lowers blood pressure

Nuts

Tree nuts, such as walnuts and almonds, are also great foods to eat before bed to get some shuteye. Walnuts, in particular, are filled with the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Additionally, walnuts house healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids that convert to DHA, which aids in the production of the sleep-enhancing chemical serotonin. Along with that, walnuts provide over 19 vitamins and minerals, making them an extremely healthy nut to snack on.

Almonds, like walnuts, can also help you sleep at night. Almonds, too, are filled with melatonin, which will turn your brain’s lights off to help you drift away to dreamland, and provide 19 percent of your daily needs of magnesium, which is thought to improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia.

Time for bed

If you’re struggling to sleep at night, try eating one of these five foods. However, if insomnia or other sleep disorders are keeping you up at night, it’s always recommended to see a doctor or specialist who can provide professional treatment.