13 Easy Ways To Combat Sleep-less Nights

13 Foods That Can Help

1. Whole Grains: These grains promote insulin production resulting in tryptophan activity in the brain. They also have magnesium, helping you stay asleep. When your magnesium levels get too low, you are more likely to wake up throughout the night.
2. White Rice: It has a high glycemic index. Meaning it will naturally increase your blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn helps tryptophan get to work on your brain faster.
3. Poultry: Chicken and turkey have tryptophan. It is an amino acid that you can only get from what you eat and drink. It helps your body make that relaxing mood hormone, serotonin. Which then helps your body make the hormone that controls your sleep cycles, melatonin.
4. Kiwi: This fruit possesses numerous vitamins and minerals, most notably vitamins C and E, and potassium and folate. Studies show that people who eat two kiwis an hour before bedtime fall asleep faster, get more rest, and have better slumber.
5. Honey: Glucose in honey lowers your orexin levels, a neurotransmitter in the brain which makes you more alert. Honey will calm that alertness.
6. Sour Cherries: People who drink two cups of tart cherry juice each day have more total sleep time and higher sleep efficiency. This is due to tart cherries having above-average quantities of melatonin, which promotes healthier sleep. They can also have an antioxidant effect that is helpful in rest.
7. Fish: Fatty Fish: Studies show that fatty fish provide a healthy dose of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, involved in the body’s regulation of serotonin. This research focused specifically on fish consumption during winter when vitamin D levels tend to be lower.
8. Milk: Milk contains melatonin, and some milk products are already melatonin-enriched. When cows get milked at night, their milk has more melatonin, which may help provide a natural source of the slumber-producing hormone.
9. Nuts: Pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds are often considered good food for better slumber. They all boost serotonin levels because they have magnesium and tryptophan. Though the exact amount varies, nuts containing melatonin and essential minerals like magnesium and zinc, are necessary to various bodily processes. A study found that a combination of melatonin, magnesium, and zinc helped older adults with insomnia get better rest.
10. Yogurt: Or any other dairy product, including milk and cheese, will provide you with lots of calcium. Calcium processes the hormones helping you rest: tryptophan and melatonin.
11. Eggs: Eggs are a popular morning dish, but they can also make you drowsy due to having tryptophan. Try having some breakfast for dinner and see what happens.
12. Kale: This leafy green is also very rich in calcium, making those sleep hormones get to work.
13. Bananas: They are high in potassium which aids in keeping you asleep throughout the night. It also has tryptophan and magnesium, which we’ve learned are natural sedatives.