Sleep: Foods that aid or sabotage ZZZZZZZs
My last blog was about sleep and things that you can do (or avoid) to help yourself sleep better. Getting enough rest at night is not only a huge topic but also a huge industry. There are countless products and medications on the market specifically targeted to individuals whose sleep is insufficient for one reason or another.
I want to offer you some suggestions for foods that you can consume to help improve your slumber — and some to avoid that could inhibit your trip to the land of nod. Try some of these and perhaps you’ll experience better sleep. But obviously avoid anything you know you’re allergic to.
12 Foods That Can Help You Sleep
Almonds: contain magnesium. A handful of almonds or a tablespoon of almond butter before bed.
Bananas: contain tryptophan, magnesium and potassium.
Cereal and Milk: Milk contains tryptophan. The carbohydrates in cereal make tryptophan more available to the brain. Choose a small bowl of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal.
Cherries: Cherries are one of the few food sources of melatonin.
Crackers and Cheese: The protein in cheese provides tryptophan, while the carbs in crackers may help you fall asleep faster. Cheddar cheese contains more tryptophan than turkey.
Decaffeinated Green Tea: contains theanine
Hummus: Chickpeas are rich in tryptophan, folate and vitamin B-6.
Lemon Balm: contains terpenes. Brew tea.
Peanut Butter: rich in tryptophan. Spread on a few whole-grain crackers.
Pineapple: High in melatonin.
Pumpkin Seeds: High in tryptophan. Pair with a small piece of carb-rich fruit.
Walnuts: contain melatonin and help your body respond better to stress.
Glossary
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Magnesium: a muscle-relaxing mineral that plays a key role in regulating sleep.
Tryptophan: an amino acid that promotes sleep and which the brain uses to make serotonin and melatonin.
Carbohydrates: make tryptophan more available to the brain.
Serotonin and Melatonin: hormones that promote relaxation and control sleep and wake cycles.
Potassium: a muscle-relaxing mineral.
Theanine: an amino acid that helps to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Folate: helps regulate sleep patterns.
Vitamin B-6: helps regulate your body clock.
Terpenes: promote relaxation and better sleep.
12 Foods That Sabotage Sleep
Celery: high water content (also cucumbers, watermelon, radishes) are natural diuretics that may cause trips to the bathroom.
Tomatoes: boost brain activity and delay sleep. Also eggplant, soy sauce, red wine and aged cheeses, such as brie and Stilton.
Cheese Pizza: high-fat and fried foods take longer to digest and can cause discomfort that interferes with sleep.
Alcohol: may help you doze off quicker but disrupts sleep later in the night and robs you of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Lack of REM sleep harms concentration, memory and motor skills.
Black-bean chili: beans are hard to digest and can cause stomach-rumbling gas pains
Dark chocolate: contains caffeine.
Gumdrops/candy: spikes blood sugar levels. You may fall asleep easily, but these fluctuations make it difficult to stay asleep.
Tacos/spicy foods: can set you up for a bad case of heartburn and a restless night.
Steak: Foods high in protein and marbled fats (steak, roast beef) are slow to digest. If your body is busy digesting food, there’s more of a chance that you’ll have a restless night.
Carbonated soft drinks: Caffeine! If it’s added to a food or beverage, caffeine must be listed as an ingredient; if it occurs naturally (coffee, tea, chocolate), it doesn’t. Check the label.
Heavy Meal: requires time for digestion. Allow at least three hours post-meal before you turn in so your body has a chance to digest the food and you don’t feel too uncomfortable to sleep.
Broccoli: slow-to-digest fiber and indigestible sugar produce large amounts of gas.
Countdown to bedtime: 90 minutes
Countdown to bedtime: Not after dinner
Countdown to bedtime: 3 hours
Countdown to bedtime: 2 to 4 hours
Countdown to bedtime: Have it for lunch!
Countdown to bedtime: 4 to 6 hours
Countdown to bedtime: 2 to 3 hours
Countdown to bedtime: 3 hours
Countdown to bedtime: 3 hours
Countdown to bedtime: 4 hours
Countdown to bedtime: 3 to 4 hours
Countdown to bedtime: Have it for lunch instead!
Lindel Hart teaches yoga online for PerfectFit Wellness. He lives in Western Massachusetts and teaches at Deerfield Academy, a private residential high school, as well as at Community Yoga and Wellness in Greenfield, MA. Visit his website, Hart Yoga.
