Getting a good night of sleep makes a difference in the quality of your day, because it allows you to think clearly, stay alert, and remain energized whether you're home or at work. Vver-the-counter sleep aids and prescription sleeping pills may seem like a logical option to help you get the sleep you need. However, there is a healthier and more natural way to get the sleep your brain and body need by eating certain nutritious foods before bed.
Cereal with Milk
Have a bowl of low-sugar cereal, such as wheat bran or puffed rice, along with a healthy helping of milk just before bedtime. Milk contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which can cause drowsiness to help you fall asleep. Also, the healthy carbohydrates contained in many cereals make tryptophan more available to the brain.
Turkey
Many people are familiar with the Thanksgiving phenomenon in which sleepiness sets in after a big meal. You can eat turkey before bedtime year-round to take advantage of its sleep-inducing properties. Turkey, like milk, contains tryptophan. However, don't stuff yourself before bed. Eat instead a small portion of turkey, such as a half of a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, to capitalize on its sleep-inducing properties.
Popcorn
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, popcorn may help you get better sleep. Enjoy popcorn while watching television while perusing a book or magazine. Go easy on the salt and butter when you eat popcorn before bed, since table salt, which may make you retain fluids and wake up in the middle of the night thirsty, is not sleep-friendly.
Peanut Butter and Toast
Proteins are the building blocks of tryptophan. Peanut butter contains healthy protein, and when spread on a piece of whole-grain toast, it combines with carbohydrates to help you nod off faster when you lay your head on the pillow. Try adding sliced bananas to your peanut-butter toast. Bananas also contain high levels of tryptophan.
Food at Bedtime
When eating foods to help you get to sleep, do so at a table, on the couch, or anywhere else but in the bed itself. If you're having trouble getting to sleep, the University of Maryland recommends using your bed only for sleep and sex. Eating in bed may end up keeping you awake longer as your mind will begin to associate the bed as a place to eat and not sleep.
