8 Best Foods to Help You Sleep

A good night’s sleep is something we all want to have.

But stress and a bad diet can disturb your sleep.

What are the side effects of lack of sleep?

Sleeping well is very important for your overall health.

Your brain rests, your body recovers from injuries and diseases, your immune system strengthens, your reflexes, memory, and mood improve while you sleep.

The effects of bad or lack of sleep are muscle pain, depression, headache, obesity, hypertension, weak immune system. (1)

So, you can see why it’s important to have a good, quality sleep.

How can foods help you have better sleep?

Some ingredients high in carbs, melatonin, tryptophan, magnesium or potassium can help you fall asleep faster and rest well. (2)

They are helpful when it comes to chronic insomnia, too.

To have a good quality sleep your body needs to produce the hormone serotonin.

And the foods that boost serotonin are foods high in tryptophan and good carbs.

Tryptophan is an amino acid, very important for the production of serotonin.

On the other hand, foods high in carbs are important because they enable tryptophan to boost the production of serotonin.

This is a simple explanation; these processes are much more complicated.

So, if you struggle with insomnia and you usually take sleeping pills, try to include these ingredients in your diet:

Best foods to help you sleep better

1. Almonds

Almonds are high in magnesium.

Magnesium relaxes the muscles and it improves your sleep.

Also, almonds are high in tryptophan.

Furthermore, almonds are high in proteins that have an important role in regulating the blood sugar levels during sleep.

Almonds are definitely one of the best foods for better sleep.

So, before bedtime, eat a few almonds.

Of course, don’t exaggerate since almonds are high calorie foods.

2. Bananas

This fruit is high in magnesium and potassium that are important for muscle relaxation.

Like almonds, bananas are high in L-tryptophan and carbs (important for tryptophan to get to your brain and boost serotonin).

Eat a banana 2 hours before sleep.

3. Cherry juice

Cherry juice can help you sleep longer.

Drink a glass of cherry juice before sleep.

4. Probiotic yogurt

This dairy product is high in the amino acid L-tryptophan.

So, the best combination to eat before sleep is yogurt and crackers.

It is best to use probiotic yogurt.

A healthy gut is also important for quality sleep.

5. Honey

Honey is a traditional food for relaxing.

It’s good for insomnia too.

It is high in glucose, relaxes the nervous system and the whole body.

Honey is one of the best anti-inflammatory foods.

The best combination is warm milk or chamomile tea with honey before sleep.

6. Sweet potato

Sweet potato has complex carbs that will make you sleepy and you will sleep well through the night.

Also, it has a low glycemic index which means that your blood sugar levels won’t rise.

Furthermore, it keeps your body hydrated during the whole night.

7. Spinach

Another reason to love spinach is its calming effect on the body. (3)

It’s a great source of tryptophan, folic acid, magnesium, melatonin, and vitamins C and B6 which are key for serotonin synthesis.

Spinach contains glutamine too- an amino acid that helps your body get rid of toxins that lead to insomnia.

Try to eat raw spinach.

High temperatures destroy vitamins and glutamine in spinach.

8. Chickpea

This healthy plant is high in vitamin B which is necessary for the production of melatonin.

You should definitely include chickpea in your diet and you can start by eating fresh hummus in the evening.

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