Eight simple foods that are useful to eat before bed to overcome insomnia
If you can not fall asleep for a long time, toss and turn at night and wake up from every rustle, then in the morning, most likely, you do not feel cheerful and full of strength. A strong healthy sleep is simply necessary – not only for effective work and good mood, but also for the normal functioning of all body systems, if you will – for survival.
Nevertheless, you should not run to the pharmacy for pills for insomnia at the first sleep disorders. It is better to look in the refrigerator: for sure there will be delicious and healthy "sleeping pills" products.
What prevents us from sleeping soundly
To begin with, let's exclude all external factors that can provoke sleep disorders. Make sure that the room in which you sleep is well ventilated at night, it is cool enough, the air is not overdried by the heating system, electrical appliances do not buzz, and a street lamp does not shine through the window. Then check the bed: whether you have comfortable pillows and a mattress, whether the bed linen is pleasant to the body. If everything is in order on all points, it is worth looking for the cause of insomnia inside.
Its most common causes are stress, overwork, overexcitation or jet lag. Simply put, anything that prevents the brain and nervous system from relaxing and going into sleep mode. Violations are associated with an imbalance of hormones: when those that are responsible for relaxation (melatonin, serotonin, adenosine and others) are not enough, and those that stimulate the brain and other systems (cortisol, dopamine, norepinephrine) are in excess. You can influence their concentration with the help of the right products.
What foods will help you fall asleep
For insomnia, it is useful to eat foods high in melatonin (the hormone responsible for healthy sleep), as well as potassium and magnesium, which help relax muscles. Here is a list of useful snacks shortly before bedtime that will help the body tune in to rest.
Bananas. A source of potassium, magnesium and tryptophan, which are needed to relax the body, relieve muscle and nervous tension and stimulate the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. For the remedy to work, it is best to eat a small banana no later than an hour before bedtime. During this time, tryptophan will just reach the brain and begin its action.
Kiwi. You can safely eat it in the evening - there is at least enough benefit in it, and there are few calories. One medium kiwi fruit can cover the daily need of the body for vitamin C and saturate by 40% with a rare vitamin K. At the same time, the price of pleasure is only 50 kcal. Kiwi contains fiber and antioxidants, folic acid, potassium and other important trace elements that contribute to the production of serotonin. So, our brain begins to properly regulate sleep cycles, and in a good mood it is usually easier to fall asleep.
Chamomile tea. Like other herbal drinks, chamomile tea is a natural sedative with a mild effect. It helps to reduce anxiety and worry, relax and calm the nerves. To enhance its effect will help lavender. Chamomile tea contains the antioxidant apigenin, which interacts with the receptors of the brain responsible for relaxation and rest. In addition, the drink is useful for the cardiovascular system, strengthens the immune system during colds, contains antioxidants that resist free radicals. Make it a rule to drink tea with chamomile in the evening, and you will see how your condition changes.
Almond. These nuts contain a lot of magnesium, which is needed to relax muscles and reduce the level of the stress hormone cortisol. They also help the body produce melatonin. Doctors and nutritionists recommend eating no more than 30 g of almonds per day, but even such a small portion will bring a decent supply of vital substances: manganese (32% of the daily value), phosphorus (14% of the norm), riboflavin (17%). Almonds also contain antioxidants, fiber and beneficial fatty acids. It is desirable to eat it no later than 3 hours before bedtime, so as not to overload the body.
Walnuts. A product that is also able to improve the quality of rest at night. Walnuts not only contain the main sleep hormone melatonin, but also help to produce serotonin - the pleasure hormone responsible for mood and natural sleep cycles. They should also be consumed in a dosed manner - from 30 to 60 grams per day. What else are useful walnuts and how they affect the brain, we wrote earlier.
Milk. A glass of warm milk before going to bed is a classic from childhood and a really working way to fall asleep faster. Milk contains not only calcium, but also tryptophan, which stimulates the production of melatonin. And another stereotypical product - cookies, which are often eaten with a bite of milk by the heroes of foreign films, can, on the contrary, worsen the quality of sleep due to the high content of sugar and fat. To sleep sweeter, it is better to add a spoonful of natural honey to the milk.
Honey. A useful sweetness, which may well replace sugar in the evening tea party. The amino acid tryptophan, contained in honey, promotes a calm sound sleep, and sugar slightly raises insulin levels and helps it act more efficiently. Overeating honey at night, of course, is not worth it. One teaspoon is enough before bedtime.
See also benefits of wild talh honey for sex
Cherries and natural cherry juice. Cherry berries are a natural source of melatonin. Eat a handful of fresh or thawed berries two hours before bedtime and look at the effect - the time to fall asleep should be noticeably reduced, as the melatonin content in the blood will increase. Cherry juice is also useful for insomnia. The main thing is that it has as many cherries as possible and as little sugar as possible. Therefore, it is better not to experiment with packaged juice-containing drinks.
What not to eat before bedtime
In order not to toss and turn all night and get enough sleep, give up fatty heavy foods in the evening or eat it at least 4 hours before bedtime. Fried and meat dishes, fast food, pastries and cream desserts can create a deceptive impression that after them on a full stomach sleeps better. It's not that. Scientists have found that sleep after such a meal is less useful.
Foods high in starch, fat and sugar put a lot of strain on the digestive system, which is why we really feel drowsy and apathetic. But this is not what is needed for a healthy sleep. High-calorie and fatty foods can also disrupt digestion and the production of acid in the stomach, cause heartburn and bloating - what a healthy sound sleep.
Do not eat chocolate, cheese, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes at night - these products are rich in an amino acid called "tyramine". In the body, it turns into norepinephrine, which stimulates the active work of the brain.
Traditionally, people with sleep disturbance are advised to exclude coffee, green tea and other products containing caffeine in the evening. However, there are always those who claim that after coffee, on the contrary, they sleep better. The fact is that caffeine acts differently on different organisms. Someone is absorbed in an hour, and someone gives a charge of vivacity for several hours. But in any case, with sleep disorders, it is worth trying to shift the use of your favorite drinks to an earlier time - perhaps the matter is still in them.
And, of course, remember that useful products can be your assistants in the normalization of sleep and the fight against stress, but they will not cure chronic insomnia and concomitant diseases, will not save from clinical depression. If the problem is permanent, consult a specialist - a neurologist or somnologist. And certainly do not start taking sleeping pills and sedatives without a doctor's prescription.