Did you know there are foods that will help you sleep? There’s a lot in modern society to disrupt our sleep, and food could counteract these sleep disruptors.
Late night glowing screens, general stress, insane news stories, caffeine too late in the day, exercise too late in the day, certain medications, getting really involved in binging Netflix and deciding your painting muse is only active at 1:12 a.m. are just some of the ways our sleep can get disrupted.
But if you just have to get to sleep, and can’t for the life of you, some dietary changes could actually help. You’ll want to seek out foods that are known for keeping blood sugar stable, since that will help even out sleep. Also, foods containing or supporting natural sedatives like tryptophan and melatonin are sound choices. Below are some of these top plant-based foods that will help you sleep.
Nut butters: If you can’t sleep, reach for the foods that are high in protein. Those will satisfy any lingering hunger that may be disrupting sleep. And protein helps even out blood sugar levels, leading to less disrupted sleep.
Whole grain cereal: It’s usually a morning favorite, but don’t discount a small serving of cereal as a bedtime snack. Complex carbs are reputed to help boost the availability of tryptophan in the bloodstream.
Whole grain toast: This is another complex carb that can help boost sleep. What makes vegan whole grain toast awesome is that it’s easy to spread nut butters on it, so you’re getting a complex carb and a boost of protein to help regulate blood sugar.
Hummus: Hummus is another natural source of tryptophan. Plus, since it’s basically ground up beans, it’s another excellent source of blood-sugar-regulating protein. Add it to complex carb whole wheat vegan crackers for another sleep-aid boost.
Dark chocolate: Reaching for the chocolate might seem counterintuitive, like you’re just angling for a sugar high. But dark chocolate has serotonin, a natural relaxer.
Chamomile tea: What list of sleep inducing foods would be complete without chamomile tea—nature’s most popular sleepy time beverage? It’s been used since time immemorial to help aid in sleep. There doesn’t seem to be any science to support why it works. It’s just that we seem to associate the soothing, sweet tea with sleep and relaxation.
Almonds: These pack magnesium and tryptophan, and also help regulate spikes in hunger due to how much protein they contain.
Bananas: Packed with magnesium and potassium, these delicious snacks can help muscles relax. Plus, they even have tryptophan.
Tart cherries: These contain melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body at night, and helps trigger the body into needing sleep at night.
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