Today, the way of living is fast and stressful, so despite feeling dead tired at the end of the day, you still might have problems falling asleep. Reaching for sleeping pills is easy, but an unhealthy solution. Before you do that, try fighting insomnia the natural way.
Those nighttime cravings can be your enemy or your ally in falling to sleep easily. Choosing low-calorie foods that contain the amino acid tryptophan and potassium, which helps the muscle relax, will go a long way in beating your insomnia.
Here are 10 foods that are guaranteed to get you to sleep faster.
Banana
Bananas will help you go to sleep by easing your muscles relax, and they also contain tryptophan, which converted into serotonin and melatonin and will get you to sleep faster.
Lettuce
Salads before bed are not a common choice, but a few lettuce leaves will do wonders for your slumber. Thanks to its high concentration of lactucarium, eating lettuce will not only get you to sleep but will help your body loosen up and remove any discomfort you might be feeling.
Walnuts
Another great source of tryptophan and melatonin, snacking on a few fistfuls of walnuts while preparing for bed, will get you to slumber-land in a flash.
Honey
The body digests the honey slowly, giving you small doses of sugar, regulating your insulin levels. That helps the tryptophan reach the brain faster and put you to sleep. Ideally, a spoon of honey on an empty stomach will do the trick, but if that’s too sweet for you, mix the spoon of honey with the best sleep-inducing tea out there: a hot cup of chamomile tea.
Cherries
Something tart and refreshing might not be what most people want before going to bed, but a bowl of cherries just might get you to bed faster. Their high concentration of melatonin will get you yawning fast, and if you’re really having trouble sleeping, try drinking some cherry juice throughout the day.
Almonds
Despite having high levels of tryptophan, almonds also contain magnesium, which will help your muscles relax. Another health benefit of eating almonds on a daily basis is that it will regulate your cholesterol levels, will smooth out your voluntary movements, and will help strengthen your bones.
Jasmine Rice
If you’re too tired to make the rice before bed, then you don’t need it, but since we’re fighting insomnia, then you can spare a few minutes to make a bowl of nice jasmine rice, pumping it up with milk and honey. With a high glycemic index, jasmine rice will keep your brain fueled for the night by slowly releasing sugar into the bloodstream while giving you a boost of insomnia busting levels of tryptophan and serotonin.
Hummus
Dip some veggies into your favorite hummus dip, and you’ll soon start counting sheep. Hummus is packed with sleep-inducing hormones, steady levels of slow-releasing glucose, and enough proteins to ease any heartburn that might cause you to discomfort in the late-night hours.
Oats
A bowl of oatmeal may be considered more of breakfast food. However, oats are a great source of sleep-inducing agents like potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and melatonin. So, a small serving of oatmeal with warm milk is the ideal dinner for easier sleep.
Warm Milk Or Cheese
Calcium helps lower stress levels and loosens muscle tension, but it also controls how much melatonin your body gets. So, if you’re feeling peckish, a few slices or squares of cheese will get you on your way to good night’s sleep. And when all else fails, a warm glass of milk will warm you up and knock you out for sure. Even little kids know that.
Now you can beat those bedtime munchies and sleeplessness in one go, just remember to eat at least one hour before going to bed.
