Can’t fall asleep at night? I recently found an article about the effects different foods have on our sleeping habits. Some nights I find myself tossing and turning for hours, even on days when I’m exhausted. When I go to sleep knowing that I need sleep, it’s even harder. I will lay awake thinking about how I need sleep and watch the clock, it’s very frustrating. I thought this was very odd until I read an article by an expert nutritionist, David Zinczenko. The article stated “Nothing makes it harder to fall asleep then knowing how important it is to sleep”. That explains my problem perfectly!
Before it’s time to go to bed stay away from foods containing protein or fat. The protein increase’s your alertness making you more awake and the fat slows your digestion process which makes sleep more restless. These foods and drinks they suggest you eat before bed will relax your body by inducing feel good relaxation chemicals. These chemicals slow your brain and relax your nerves. So give one of these a try before bed and get a good nights rest.
- Nonfat popcorn
The carbs in popcorn will help your body relax. Skip any butter, the fat will slow your digestion. - Oatmeal with sliced banana
Sleep is tough when you are stressed or excited, oatmeal will warm and relax your body. - A cup of plain yogurt with mixed nuts
Yogurt contains lysine and nuts contain arginine, both of these contain alertness inducing protein. These will both reduce stress and stop you from thinking about a million things at once. Eat this a couple hours before bed or even before a presentation to reduce stress. - A pile of sesame seeds
Sesame seeds contain the same thing that turkey contains that makes you want to sleep for days after Thanksgiving. This is called tryptophan, a sleep inducing amino acid. Forget about the night time turkey, the protein in it will cancel the benefits. - A handful of pretzels
The carbs in pretzels will help you feel sleepy before bed time. Pretzels are also a good any time snack. They are low calorie and a low fat course of carbs. - 1 glass of wine
I’ve always known people indulge in a glass of wine before they doze off, but I never understood why. One alcoholic drink relaxes your blood vessels which lowers your blood pressure, slows your heart rate, and increases your ability to relax. More than one drink reverses the effects, so be careful! - One glass of unsweetened cherry juice
This juice has serotonin inducing carbs which helps to relax you. - Red bell peppers
Cortisol is a hormone released in your body when it is stressed. Vitamin C stops the secretion of this hormone. Peppers have more vitamin C than any other fruit or vegetable.
Check out the article! http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/38272/8-perfect-sleep-better-foods/
Wow you've just saved me alot of sleepless nights wondering why i wont go to bed. I didnt know i could cheat the system, eat certain foods and have it calm me down. The glass of wine doesnt sounds too bad but would a beer work just as well? Also all of your foods have a certain level of nutrition that wouldnt be harmful sitting in your stomach all night.
ReplyDeleteIts so true, red wine always makes me sleepy. I never would have thought that bell peppers would help you sleep at night or sesame seed, but how would you eat them? just by the hand full? The yogurt with nuts, makes sense i used to eat that everyday for lunch, and i was always tired! I guess i should have looked into it, i always thought that that would help with energy.
ReplyDeleteI get that sometimes too, especially the night before a big game or test when I really want to sleep. I never figured it was because of protein or fat. That is a great explanation. I also like milk warmed up in the microwave. Everyone thinks it is gross but I love it. It puts me out like a baby. I am definitely going to refer back to this when I can't sleep one night. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I have always wondered if foods impacted how you sleep at nite. I would have never thought of seseme seeds or red peppers, but I would definately be wiling to try it out. Also, I agree with Stephanie- warm milk will put you to sleep everytime, even though so many people think its gross.
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