Whenever I just could not sleep , a glass of warm milk has been my moms secret weapon for my entire youth . Why? Because milk helps you sleep !
I think we can all attest to the fact that some foods seem like a no-go right before bed, and some seem to work wonders. Enough reason for me to investigate further. Who knew that pizza can increase your chances of plummeting into a deep sleep as soon as you hit the pillow?
I’m listing the These seven foods that can help !, and we’ll get to the bottom of why they make us sleepy:
A shopping list for the sleep-deprived.
1.Almonds
Rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for quality sleep. A recent study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that low magnesium levels make sleep more difficult.
2. Bananas
Bananas are good for inducing sleep, but not because it affects the production of certain neurotransmitters or hormones. Bananas are full of useful electrolytes, namely potassium and magnesium.
As I’ve described before in the article about muscle cramps, a specific set of minerals are very important to our muscle function: electrolytes. We’ve seen that magnesium and potassium in particular are responsible for the relaxation of a muscle.
Apart from being sleepy in your head, it’s equally important for your body to relax. Eat a banana and feel the relaxation flow through you.
3.Carbohydrates
A bowl of your favorite cereal with milk combines carbohydrates and dairy. Along with corn chips, pretzels and rice (especially jasmine rice), cereal has a high glycemic index, which causes a natural spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, shortening the time it takes to fall asleep. Normally we want steady levels to avoid mood swings and insulin resistance. But if you’re in need of sleep, the increase in blood sugar and insulin aids tryptophan in entering your brain and bringing on the sleep.
4.Chamomile tea
Steeped five minutes with a teaspoon of honey, this increases the glycemic index while acting like a mild sedative to aid relaxation.
6. Pizza
This almost sounds too good to be true . While eating loads of pizza probably will not get you in the best shape of your life , snatching a slice right before bed MIGHT actually send you right to your dreams .
The general consensus is that foods with a high glycemic index (GI) aren’t the healthiest. The GI represents the total rise in blood sugar level following the consumption of a food. Foods with a high GI will spike your blood sugar and then make it crash. The crash will make you hungry again, so you’ll quickly overeat. Not surprisingly, pizza has a high GI, according to Harvard scientists.
So does a blood sugar level that looks like a roller coaster help me get to sleep?
Actually yes.
Researchers tested how low GI foods compared to high GI foods when consumed right before bedtime. They measured their results in the unit of Sleep Onset Latency (SOL), which is just a fancy term for how long it takes for somebody to fall asleep. Interestingly, it took candidates approximately 50% less time to fall asleep when they consumed a high GI meal before bedtime.
Building on that, it turns out that the large amounts of rice (high GI) consumed in Japan are significantly associated with the good sleep that Japanese people have.
High GI foods won’t get you in shape, but they might just let you enjoy some Japanese tranquillity.
7.Warm milk
My grandma used to say warm milk can help you sleep, but so can any dairy product ingested before bedtime, including cheese and yogurt. Calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin. It also plays a role in regulating muscle movements, quieting the muscles.
