I blogged the other day about things you don’t want to eat before bedtime if you want a good night’s sleep. Things like chocolate and caffeine may prevent you from getting the sleep you need.
But, there are some things you can eat to help. One unlikely snack is cherries. Yes, cherries are one of the few natural foods that contain melatonin, the precious chemical we need to help regulate our sleep. You will also find melatonin in bananas and grapes, but cherries, both fresh and dried, contain more. If you want to plan for a good night’s sleep, eat the cherries about an hour before bedtime.
While I am talking about bananas, let me tell you more about them. Bananas contain small amounts of melatonin, due to its amino acid L-tryptophan being converted to 5-HTP, which is converted to serotonin and melatonin. But, bananas also contain potassium and magnesium, which are both natural muscle relaxants.
Okay, so maybe you don’t have any cherries or bananas in the house and you still can’t sleep – what now? How about trying a piece of toast? Toast is rich in carbohydrates, which helps produce insulin. Insulin speeds up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, which helps relax you.
Oatmeal will also trigger your insulin production, which will release tryptophan and serotonin. Plus, oatmeal will produce some melatonin.
If you don’t feel like making oatmeal, you can also get the old standby – a glass of warm milk. Milk too contains L-trytophan, which you now know turns into 5-HTP and that produces serotonin and melatonin.
Now, if you really want to get a good night’s sleep – exercise. Of course, you don’t want to do it at midnight when you are still awake, but make time during the day to walk for 30 minutes or go to the gym to work out.