What To Eat Before Bed For Better Sleep

If you’ve heard that eating before bed can cause weight gain or trigger acid reflux, what you’ve heard is both right and wrong. Let’s first take the assumption it causes weight gain. While studies may link eating at bedtime with weight gain, there’s no reason why it should. A calorie is a calorie, no matter when you eat it. What may be the problem is that people who eat at bedtime are adding extra calories they wouldn’t eat otherwise. Acid reflux can be a problem and if you’re prone to it, eating before bed isn’t advised. What to eat for better sleep is the next question.

Some people can’t sleep if they’re hungry.

There are reasons built into you that keep you awake if you’re hungry at bedtime. It’s a survival instinct. The hunger triggers the mind to stay awake and search for food. If you don’t have any medical issues or issues with reflux, finding the perfect food at bedtime to help you sleep is important. Try food that contains tryptophan—an amino acid and protein. Turkey is about the best known source of tryptophan, Both the tryptophan and the protein promote sleepiness. Other poultry, beef, pork and seafood also contains both protein and tryptophan.

Go nuts with almonds.

Melatonin tells your internal when it’s time to sleep and triggers signals to the body to go to sleep. Almonds and other types of nuts are a source of melatonin. They’re also a source of riboflavin, phosphorus, and magnesium. Magnesium may also help you get better quality sleep. It can reduce stress hormones, while being a good antioxidant. Eat one ounce before bedtime, which is about a handful. Walnuts are also beneficial.

Have a bit of tuna, salmon or other fatty fish.

Mix up a little tuna with mayo, celery and onions and spread it on a cracker. That tuna is high in vitamin D, just as most fatty fish are. Tuna, like other fatty fish is high in omega-3 that fights inflammation and when combined with vitamin D, can help you go to slumberland. That’s because both increase the body’s production of serotonin, which plays a huge role in the body’s sleep cycle, sleep quality and how quickly you fall asleep.

• If you don’t want to eat but find you’re having trouble sleeping, try drinking warm milk or opt for chamomile tea. Both will help sleep faster. Milk contains calcium that helps with stress and chamomile has natural relaxing compounds.
• Try some chopped frozen cherries, chopped walnuts and Greek yogurt. While that sounds like the perfect desert, it also has all the foods that boosts sleep, cherries, walnuts and yogurt all help sleep. Take a shortcut and just drink some cherry juice to nod off faster.
• Kiwi is a unique healthy fruit that’s also good at bedtime. Not only does it help the body with antioxidants, it can help you get a better night’s sleep, since it’s rich in serotonin.
• Eating food high in carbs can also help you sleep better, according to one study. This may relate back to early man and that a full belly helped man relax, since the hunt for food was successful.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club