The most common sleep disorder is, by far, insomnia. One in every three adults has occasional insomnia while one in every 10 has chronic insomnia. For many people, insomnia is normally a phase due to a variety of factors like stress. Once the stress is gone, the insomnia is gone. This type of insomnia can usually be fixed by trying many natural methods.
Changing your diet is an easy, natural way to help cure your insomnia. By eating certain sleep-inducing foods each night, there is a possibility that you will experience better sleep. Now, this does not mean engorging these foods will guarantee you more sleep. Actually, eating too much of any kind of food will hurt your chances of getting a good night’s rest. However, with moderation and a healthy lifestyle, eating these foods can help you get the hours of sleep you’ve been craving. So, what are the foods that might help you sleep? Here are the top 10.
Top 10 Foods That Help You Sleep
- Poultry – Chicken or turkey has tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that you can only get from what you eat and drink. It helps your body make serotonin (a relaxing mood hormone) which then helps your body make melatonin (a hormone that controls sleep cycles).
- Fish – Vitamin B6 is abundant in fish, with salmon, tuna, and halibut having the most. B6 is what makes melatonin, which is normally triggered by being in the dark. By eating fish for dinner, you can give that melatonin a head start before turning out the lights.
- Yogurt – Calcium processes the hormones that help you sleep, tryptophan and melatonin. Calcium, of course, can be found in anything dairy related if you don’t like yogurt. Other things you can try are milk or cheese and crackers
- Kale – Like yogurt, this leafy green is also rich in calcium which is important in making those sleep hormones go to work.
- Bananas – They are high in potassium which helps to keep you asleep throughout the night. It also has tryptophan and magnesium which are natural sedatives.
- Whole Grains – These grains encourage insulin production that result in tryptophan activity in the brain. They also have magnesium which is said to help you stay asleep. When magnesium levels are too low, you are more likely to wake up during the night.
- Honey – Glucose in honey lowers levels of orexin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that makes you more alert. Honey will put that alertness in reverse.
- Nuts – This includes walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. These all boost serotonin levels by having magnesium and tryptophan.
- Eggs – Eggs are popular in the morning, but they also can make you sleepy due to having tryptophan. Try having some breakfast for supper and see what happens.
- White Rice – White rice has a high glycemic index. This simply means that it will give you a natural increase in blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn, helps tryptophan go to work in your brain faster.
While these top 10 sleep-inducing foods have the nutrients to help you sleep, they definitely aren’t the only ones you can try. A general guideline to follow is picking items that have a mix of calcium, potassium, magnesium, tryptophan, and B6. Try these sleep-inducing foods in the evening and you may be surprised by how fast you fall and stay asleep.
Author Bio:
Aaron Stevenson is a public educator, health freak, and founder of Snooze EZ. He is a go-to-source for many sleep related topics.
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26 thoughts on “Top 10 Foods That Help You Sleep”
I’ve been really stressed for a long time, and it’s had a significant impact on my sleep pattern. I was waking up a lot at night and couldn’t get back to sleep. It can take up to two hours to fall asleep again. After taking melatonin gummies for over a month, I’ve noticed that I’m no longer waking up in the middle of the night. After waking up, I also feel peaceful and refreshed. – Nidra Nutrition
I have found that a spoonful or two of natural peanut butter just before bedtime helps me to sleep. Chamomile tea is also good for sleep. And don’t forget, turning off the computer and reading a good book is a great way to relax you and help you get to sleep.
It’s really a cool and helpful piece of info. I’m satisfied that you just shared this useful info with us.
Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
Is it not true that honey and white rice will cause blood sugar spikes which causes a spike in the stress hormone Cortisol, which is not good for sleep?
Eat oatmeal with honey blue berries and bananas then drink 8oz glass of almond milk 10 minutes before bed it works for me sleep all night
Other sights i’ve read up on foods that help with energy; daytime fatigue, depression etc show most of the foods on your sight that state the opposite which is to Help with sleep. Pretty confusing.
Virginia has a high pollen count. My allergies for the past seven days have let to me only getting no more than three hours of sleep. I need relief, any suggestion? Zytec is not helping. Both nostrils are clogged. I’m at my wits end.
Use a humidifier and take a break from meat and dairy.
I want to try this
Diet for sleep
This article was very informative! It provided lots of information on some good foods to eat to help fall asleep. I eat bananas everyday for breakfast, and after hearing that they help with sleep, I’ll need to start eating them at night now, haha. 10/10 article.
Really enjoyed this article.
Thank you for this information. Very interesting! I am going to try these foods to help with my sleep.
Since last week now,I have not been sleeping well,what can I do to sleep.
being active and practicing everyday was helpful for me more than anything
thank you for these helpful info
It good
Great tips!
Thanks for sharing this amazing information.
Thanks for explain
I can’t go to sleep maybe it is because of what I eat or I workout from sport
Nice article. Tukey meat for dinner but not up to a few hours before bed is the best for sleep. Coffee is definetly a no no. Alchohol will be bad for longer sleep.
I don’t sleep well at, what can I do?
It’s good to know from this article that the potassium found in bananas can actually help me have a good night’s sleep. We’ve always had bananas in our fridge and I never thought that eating those will help me with my condition. Aside from including these ingredients in my diet, it might also be a good idea to drop by at the nearest mattress store so I can replace my old one.
Kinda strange that most of the foods that help you sleep are foods normally consumed to start the day. Explains the need for several cups of coffee throughout the day.
Love these tips and also like all the food groups you listed. I dream EVERY night, and feel very tired in the morning. I am going to try all of your tips, & hopefully, I can change some of my sleep habits. I am sure I have known at some point, but needed to be reminded. Thank you.
🙂
Every interesting! I’ll be trying to incorporate more of the foods in my diet to gain a better sleep experience. Thanks
I don’t sleep at night but reading this I have gain more and I think I will eating food that can help me sleep.