Foods that Promote Quality Sleep
More and more Americans are struggling to get a good night’s worth of sleep. Whether it’s because of stress, insomnia, sleep apnea, or even just GERD, it’s extremely easy to have sleep snatched from your hands. While in some cases (i.e., sleep apnea) you may require specific medical devices to help you attain quality sleep, the foods you eat (or avoid) can play an important role in your dreams.
Diet affects many aspects of your life, including sleep. To ensure that you’re doing everything you can to promote a night of restful sleep, include these foods into your daily diet:
1. Almonds
One food that you should include in your diet to improve your sleep is almonds. There are many nutritious benefits that almonds provide. In fact, even an ounce of these nuts can offer you a good dose of your daily intake of phosphorus, riboflavin, and manganese. In regards to sleep, almonds can help produce the hormone that is responsible for helping you to fall asleep, known as melatonin. Almonds can regulate sleep hormone and also possess significant magnesium, which also promotes sleep, reduces inflammation, and cortisol (or stress hormones) in the body.
2. Turkey
Have you ever experienced a turkey coma after Thanksgiving? One sure fire way to help cure your insomnia is to eat some turkey, which contains tryptophan. This amino acid has a direct relationship with the production of melatonin. So, if you need to fall asleep at night, consider having some turkey.
3. Chamomile tea
There’s a reason why people enjoy a nice cup of tea before going to bed. It can actually help improve your quality of sleep. This is due to the fact that it contains an antioxidant known as apigenin. Chamomile tea, in particular, is rich in this antioxidant so it will make you calm and ready for sleep.
4. Kiwi
If GERD is keeping you up at night, then you might want to switch out the foods that cause acid reflux and instead eat kiwi as a late night snack. This piece of fruit has been shown to be quite successful in promoting sleep because it contains serotonin, a chemical that promotes sleepiness.
5. Tart Cherry Juice
For those who can’t get to sleep because they lack melatonin in their brains, can replace that missing hormone with tart cherry juice. The reason this drink is so potent in promoting sleep is that it contains a large amount of melatonin within. It’s also packed full of antioxidants and other great vitamins to keep you healthy. In fact, this drink was shown to be quite successful in treating insomnia.