5 Foods That Help Sleep
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5 Foods That Help You Sleep
Provided by Caring.com
Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:
Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:
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Five Foods That Help You Sleep
Provided by Caring.com
Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:
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Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.
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Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.
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Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep. Bring on sleepiness by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.
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Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal will trigger insulin production, raising blood sugar naturally and making you feel sleepy. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.
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Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.
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PostPubCo 02:16:11 PM Oct 20 2009
Overweight? Stop packing the piehole, you gluttonous fool.
sisaphrol 01:41:51 PM Oct 20 2009
Wow these are all my favorite foods. I will have to try some at night when I can't sleep...I am also a Diabetic type 2 and any Diabetic knows about carbs and the limited amout which is really keeping it balanced...thanks for the story Aol..it was very heplful to me...
SuzyScorpion 01:18:31 PM Oct 20 2009
Wow, I had no idea about those certain foods and the correlation to sleep! I eat a lot of oatmeal, toast and cherries on a daily basis. I never really noticed that these foods actually made me more tired or not, but I do know that they're really good for me...
Jshuakrdlr 11:00:32 AM Oct 20 2009
Soak in a warm bath, sip a warm cup of herbal tea, hot cocoa made mostly with milk,listen to soothing, calming music (Emmett Miller's are terrific meditations). If you share life with a nurturing type ask for a gentle touch, massage on your hands, feet or head. Focus on your blessings...deep breathe.SWEET DREAMS!!
RCoyne333 10:46:59 AM Oct 20 2009
Stay away from free teeth whitening samples! Not Free, read fine print, charge you plenty once they have your information!
GCIsprings 10:10:24 AM Oct 20 2009
More brilliant info from AOL. Now the dibetics can eat Carb rich foods, sleep better, and die earlier. Morons........
lightingcandles 09:55:42 AM Oct 20 2009
These foods might be great for falling asleep, but certainly not great for your waistline. Eating sugary foods like ripe fruits, or heavy carbs like breads can help set on that "food coma" feeling before bed. But it's really not good to eat foods that need to be metabolized right before you're about to get 8 or so hours of rest. I eat a banana a day to help sooth muscle inflammation with potassium and magnesium, but I try to get that in before about 5:00 when I still have some moving and shaking to do. The same with my carbs. I try to push those early in the day when I can actually metabolize them for energy. I find that a melatonin supplement helps when I'm unable to fall asleep on my own. You get the same benefits as eating cherries or some carb-y comfort food with less sugar and late-day calories.
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