SNACKS TO FIGHT INSOMNIA

Walnuts: Not only are they healthy and filling, but they also have traces of their own form of melatonin, a hormone that helps our bodies regulate a healthy sleep cycle. If you snack even just on a couple of walnuts 20 minutes before you sleep you are guaranteed a deeper sleep.

Vitamin B6: Serotonin, the relaxing hormone, is made from the amino acid tryptophan, which is activated by the vitamin B6, helping one sleep better. Some foods that contain the Vitamin B6 are fortified breakfast cereals, potatoes, fish, chicken, bananas, beans, peanut butter, and many vegetables.

Bananas: Bananas are great because they are packed with magnesium, serotonin, and melatonin, all which help one sleep better. Melatonin helps regulate your sleep cycle, Serotonin helps to regulate sleep as well as one’s mood and appetite, and magnesium promotes sleep by helping to lower the amounts of cortisol in one’s body, a hormone known for interrupting sleep.

Tart Cherry Juice: This one may sound the most abnormal, but may have the most power. It’s helpful because Just like walnuts it carries pretty large amounts of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep the whole night! A recent research in the Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, a small sample of older adults with insomnia who were given 8 ounces of tart cherry juice, twice a day, slept an average of 87 minutes longer per night than the older adults who were not offered tart cherry juice.

Basil: Many people enjoy basil, so this one shouldn’t be too hard for many to cope with, but basil contains sedative properties, which can help you fall asleep and stay asleep. It not only helps promote sleep, but is also great for digestion. This is good for us because indigestion tends to interrupt sleep. The way to get the best results from basil is by incorporating essential oil from basil seeds and adding that to your foods.

High Magnesium: Foods that are heavy in magnesium are really good for humans because research shows that if you lack even a tiny lack of magnesium can prevent your brain from ‘turning off at night’. “A study in the Journal of Research and Medical Science found that supplementation of 500mg of magnesium appears to improve insomnia in the elderly — in food terms, that’s about ½ cup of pumpkin seeds and 1 cup of cooked leafy greens daily.”

Milk: Even if you can only intake a small cup of milk, it makes a huge difference in your sleeping. “Milk may help control melatonin production since it is a great source of calcium, a mineral that plays a role in the regulation of melatonin in the body,” explains Palinski-Wade (a nutrition and diabetes expert). “Milk is also rich in the amino acid tryptophan which has a calming effect on the body.”

Hummus: A Mediterranean delicacy, hummus contains chickpeas which are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that acts as a father to serotonin which carries out a huge role in living organisms daily sleep. It has been stated by specialists that foods with a just a minor trace of tryptophan is just as helpful as a sleeping supplement especially when combined with complex carbs.

Almond Butter: It may sound unappealing, but almond butter and other nuts are packed with magnesium and are rich in sleep-promoting tryptophan which is a potassium which increases sleep efficiency and decreases awakenings after falling asleep and B vitamins which promote a nice and restful sleep.

Corn: Corn is extremely high in carbs which would normally not be good for one’s body, but eating carbs the right way can actually promote sleeping better. This is due to the fact that carbs can produce high amounts of insulin, which indirectly makes tryptophan more available. Carbs that are ranked with higher glycemic index are better for one’s body, but carbs that are ranked with a lower glycemic index are normally filled with sugar and can upset blood sugar and interrupt sleep later in the night.

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