Not many people can enter the stage of deep sleep and thus, wake up easily or feel unsatisfied with their sleep. However, eating the right food can change that! Let me share the best food choices for better sleep.
Bananas, cheese, honey, oats, almonds, turkey, tea, cherries, salmon and sweet potatoes are foods for deep sleep.If you want to achieve deep sleep, eating these foods before bed can help you out.
10 Foods for Deep Sleep
1. Bananas
Bananas are commonly known for its ability to boost one’s energy, but that’s not all it can do.
Aside from tasting delicious, bananas contain magnesium that can relax your muscles and serotonin, chemicals that can help regulate a person’s mood.
Bananas also produces melatonin, a hormone that helps your body know when it’s time to sleep and wake up.
Therefore, eating bananas before going to sleep will promote healthy sleep and increase the potential to enter deep sleep easier than before.
Aside from that, bananas also have tryptophan and magnesium, properties that can also boost your sleep at night.
Other benefits of eating banana which makes it great is that it is rich in carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin B6 which helps boost the body’s energy levels!
Personally, it feels nice to go to bed when you feel well thanks to your positive energy!
2. Cheese
Good news for cheese lovers! An adequate amount of cheese to be eaten late at night can help you feel full and fall deep into sleep easier.
Different kinds of cheese contain tryptophan. It is an amino acid that increases the amount of serotonin and melatonin being produced inside your body.
The higher serotonin and melatonin you have, the easier and better you can sleep. But of course, it should be consumed moderately to avoid getting unwanted or unexpected side effects.
Cheddar cheese contains a good amount of tryptophan, so if you love cheese, you now have more reasons to eat cheese.
Hard cheese, on the other hand, consists of high level tyramine, an amino acid that improves your brain’s alertness, so it can do the opposite of what you’re looking for.
So, know your cheese before eating it to achieve that deep sleep!
3. Honey
Honey is perfect for those who loves a little bit of sweetness before sleep.
One teaspoon of honey is already enough to stimulate the amount of melatonin being released inside your brain and manage the levels of orexin, the chemicals that keeps us alert.
Since it shuts off orexin and improve melatonin, entering the deep sleep state is much easier too.
It contains natural sugar that assist in transporting amino acids such as tryptophan to the brain while maintaining your insulin levels at a normal range! It’s a win-win situation.
Aside from that, honey also contains a good amount of carbohydrates.
It is also recommended to choose low glycemic index carbohydrates if you are planning on having a quick snack before sleep.
4. Oats
Oats are also a good option for late night snacks before going to bed.
Though it is known as a breakfast food, it’s also great for midnight snacks. It contains various vitamins, amino acids and minerals that promote melatonin and insulin production.
It helps stabilize your blood sugar levels naturally!
The increased amount of insulin caused by eating oat will help make you feel full which will help you sleep better too, you can enter deep sleep at a faster rate.
As a reminder, you should still be wary of the amount of carbs you will eat directly before bedtime. Eat moderately! Too much can lead to negative outcomes.
Oats are rich in carbs and has been observed to create drowsiness when consumed close to bedtime. Eat a small amount that’s enough to make your night better.
5. Almonds
Another light snack that you might want to consider are almonds. Almond butter is also an option.
Not only does it contain healthy fats, almonds are also rich in magnesium as well as tryptophan which is why they are one of the good choices for midnight snacks.
Tryptophan and magnesium both help naturally reduce muscle and nerve function while also steadying your heart rhythm, making sleep a lot more relaxing, letting your body fall into deep sleep.
Magnesium makes your sleep better since it can reduce inflammation, making sure you don’t feel any fatigue after waking up. It also reduces stress levels by eliminating the stress hormone cortisol.
The hormone cortisol is known to interrupt sleep but eating almonds can shut it down.
It’s a great tree nut that contains many health benefits.
Almonds contain various nutrients such as phosphorus, manganese and riboflavin!
Eating almonds also lowers the risks of certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases! It’s thanks to almond’s monounsaturated fat, fiber and antioxidants.
The amount of melatonin contained by almonds are great enough to regulate your sleep, making it one of the best foods to eat before sleeping.
6. Turkey
If you want something not so light but not so heavy either, turkey is a good choice.
Turkey is rich in tryptophan that makes serotonin. Serotonin can give us the feeling of drowsiness, promoting easy and deep sleep.
It is also high in protein which is important for keeping your muscles strong and keep your appetite in check.
Aside from protein, it’s also rich in other vitamins and minerals such as riboflavin, phosphorus and selenium.
The presence of tryptophan in turkey also promotes melatonin production, the sleep regulating hormone.
Eating turkey before bed helps get rid of interrupt sleep at night, allowing people to enter the deep sleep state easier compared to other food.
The less chances of getting interrupted during sleep, the higher chances of going into deep sleep mode.
7. Tea
It’s always been mentioned how wonderful tea can be when it comes to
our health. Different kinds of tea are great for consuming before bed.
Examples
are chamomile tea, Valerian tea, lemon balm tea, passion flower tea,
magnolia bark tea, Kava tea, peppermint tea and St. John’s wort tea.
There are more, but these are one of the most common.
Tea is
good at affecting the neurotransmitters in our brain positively and
helps induce sleepiness, it also helps our muscles relax.
Simply
smelling the aroma of some of these tea will be good enough to make
your night better, it’s a method called “aromatherapy”. It relaxes your
mood, your muscles and your overall health too.
Chamomile tea,
for example, contains various antioxidants that can reduce inflammation
which causes chronic diseases and fatigue.
It is also said to reduce anxiety, depression and improve your skin as well as boost your immune system!
Chamomile
tea contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors
in your brain that may promote sleepiness and reduce insomnia.
8. Cherries
Drinks and dishes made with cherries are known to help with insomnia and improve quality of sleep.
Cherry
is high in nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. It’s rich
in antioxidants including anthocyanins and flavonols that protect your
cells from harmful inflammation.
Eating cherry is good for
raising melatonin levels, helping you sleep more comfortably. It also
increases the level of tryptophan inside your body!
9. Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon, halibut, trout, mackerel, and tuna are rich
in vitamin B6, a vitamin needed for melatonin production that will help
you sleep.
If you’re a seafood lover or just a fish lover, you can consider adding fish like salmon or more to your late night snack.
Aside
from vitamin B6, they also have vitamin D which is important to your
body too. Fatty fish are rich in healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty
acids and EPA as well as DHA.
These healthy fats are known to
reduce inflammation, improving the quality of sleep. It can also protect
you from heart disease and improve the brain’s health.
The
combination of omega-3 fatty acids together with vitamin D makes it
perfect for enhancing sleep quality! These elements increase serotonin
production which is needed for proper sleep.
10. Sweet Potatoes
A little bit of sweet potato is also good before bed. The carbs and
potassium that it contains are proven to promote better sleep!
Its
fiber content and complex carbs will only be digested by your body
slowly and can sustain the energy that you need for the day.
Not only are sweet potatoes delicious, but it’s also a good source for carbohydrates, fiber, manganese and vitamin A.
Manganese also helps properly distribute nutrients inside your body in order to balance the energy you need.
The fact that it balances the energy levels in your body will help you sleep better at night.
Related Questions
What is the latest you should eat before bed?
The latest time you should eat before bed is at least 2 to 3 hours before bed time. According to health experts, you must eat your heavy meal during that time.
In the event that you are awake late during midnight and 4 to 5 hours have passed after your last heavy meal, eating a light meal or snack is allowable.
(Related: “What is the Latest you Should Eat Before Bed?“)
What should I eat after 8pm?
You should only eat light meals or snacks after your last heavy meal during dinner. If you haven’t eaten before or after 8 PM, it’s recommended to eat light snack before bed.
Depending on what type of sleep you want to achieve, there are different foods that will give different effects for your sleep. Some can lead to deep sleep, some can make it harder to sleep.
What drinks are good for deep sleep?
Drinks that have zero caffeine are what you should aim for achieving deep sleep. Here’s a list of drinks that can help you out.
- Chamomile Tea
- Hot chocolate
- Cherry juice
- Lemon balm tea
- Green tea (Decaffeinated)
