Food to Sleep.

Believe it or not, having certain type of foods for dinner or as a bed time snack can literally give a you a good night’s sleep.  Certain foods help to calm your mind and thereby induce sleep. They are called the sleepers. While certain foods rev up the brain and prevent you from falling asleep. They are called the wakers. To sleep better, have sleepers for dinner and avoid the wakers. This will help you enjoy your dinner and your sleep as well.

Foods to Sleep Better.

Your dinner or bed time snack should be rich in complex carbohydrates and tryptophan. Trytophan is an amino acid which is used by the body to produce serotonin in the brain. This is a neurotransmitter which slows down nerve signals and helps to relax the brain.

A high carbohydrate meal will stimulate the secretion of insulin which will neutralize   amino acids like tyrosine, that stimulate brain activity. This will in turn promote the activity of tryptophan to manufacture sleep inducing neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin.

Having some calcium and magnesium in your bedtime meal too, is good as these minerals help the brain to use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. Melatonin is naturally occurring hormone in the body which induces sleep and maintains the body’s biological clock of sleep and wakefulness. This is why dairy foods which contain tryptophan and calcium are good sleep inducers.

Foods to Avoid to Sleep Better.

Avoid a protein rich meal without carbohydrates at night because such a meal contains tyrosine which will perk up your brain and cause difficulty in falling asleep.

Avoid a all-carbohydrate snack containing junk sugars as this will not let you sleep. Firstly, because tryptophan benefits will be missed out and secondly this will set off plummeting blood sugar levels followed by increased stress hormones which will increase your stress and not let you sleep.

Therefore your ideal bedtime meal should contain complex carbohydrates, tryptophan, calcium and a little bit of proteins.

Foods Rich in Carbohydrates.

The following is a list of high carbohydrate foods to include in your bedtime meal.

• Vegetables rich in complex carbohydrates are potato, corn, peas, cucumber, lettuce, broccoli, carrots.
• Fruits rich in carbohydrates are apples, oranges and raw pineapple.
• Whole grains.
• Dairy products such as milk and yogurt.
• Beans are a good source of complex carbohydrates.
• Oatmeal. Though this is a breakfast food, it contains carbohydrates and can help you sleep better if taken as a bed time snack.

Picture of Oatmeal.

Foods Rich With Tryptophan.

Tryptophan is one of the ten amino acids which the body uses to make proteins. Tryptophan not only helps you sleep well but also elevates your mood.

• Roasted chicken breast.
• Turkey. (That’s why you feel sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner).

• Tuna.
• Salmon
• Shrimp.
• Halibut.
• Cooked soybeans.
• Roasted lamb loin
• Tender beef loin.
• Milk, Yogurt and Cheese. A glass of warm milk will help you sleep better because of its tryptophan content and calcium. Its calcium content helps in the production of melatonin.

Milk for better sleep

• Bananas are rich in tryptophan, calcium and vitamin B6 which helps better sleep.

Picture of bananas for better sleep

• Figs.

Picture of Figs

• Pumpkin seeds.
• Montmorency or tart cherry contains significant quantity of melatonin which helps you to sleep better. Include a few in your bedtime snack.

Picture of Cherries.

Foods High in Calcium and Magnesium To Sleep Better.

• Milk.
• Almonds are a rich source of magnesium.
• Walnuts contain calcium, magnesium and tryptophan.

Protein Foods That Will Help You Sleep Better.

• Cottage cheese contains slow digesting casein proteins and will help you maintain your sleep hours.
• Hard boiled eggs.
• Peanut butter.

With the list of the healthy foods above, you could plan your favorite dinner or bedtime snack to get a good and complete sleep.

Some Good Examples of Bedtime Snacks.

Use the information above to plan your dinner or bedtime snack. For example, a good dinner should be high in complex carbohydrates, tryptophan  and calcium and low to medium in proteins. Try these combinations for your bed time snack:

• A bowl of whole grain low-fat cereal with milk.
• Granola with yogurt.
• Half a turkey.
• Peanut butter sandwich.
• Apple pie and ice cream.
• One banana with or followed by a glass of milk.

Related posts:

1. Sleep Aids To Help You Sleep.
2. NREM Sleep – Non Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.
3. Proper Bedroom and Bed to Sleep Better.
4. Over The Counter and Natural Sleep Aids to Help You Sleep.
5. Apnea and Sleep Apnea – A Dangerous Sleep Disorder.
6. REM Sleep – The Dreamer’s Sleep.
7. Obesity and Sleep.
8. How Much Sleep Do You Need.