Better Sleep = More Refreshed & Energized!
Sleep is very precious.
Without proper sleep, we can’t function at our best.
But medication is not always the best solution.
It’s always better to first try some natural, safe remedies.
If they work sufficiently well then you won’t need any drugs or medicines, and you can settle into a good sleeping routine that’s totally natural.
Much more green and eco friendly!
Here are 6 healthy foods that are useful to help you get a good night’s sleep, which will help you to feel more refreshed and energized all day long.
1. Better Sleep with Turkey
Free range, organic or wild turkey is high in L-tryptophan, which is a natural sleep-inducer. Turkey is known to promote sleep and to get you into a sleepy state so you can drift off without difficulty. L-tryptophan is a precursor to several neurotransmitters, including serotonin, that tell your brain to relax and get some real sleep.
2. Better Sleep with Fatty Fish
Fatty fish such as tuna, halibut, and salmon are high in vitamin B6. B6 promotes the making of melatonin, which is a hormone made by the pineal gland. It tells us when to sleep at night and when to wake up. Without melatonin, we don’t get the nighttime signal that says, “it’s time to go to sleep now.”
3. Better Sleep with Jasmine Rice
Jasmine rice is rich in complex carbohydrates and has a high glycemic index, which promotes insulin release and increases the amount of L-tryptophan in your bloodstream. Eat it for supper in order to get sleepy enough to get to sleep well.
4. Better Sleep with Yogurt
Both yogurt and milk are high in calcium. There is some evidence to suggest that low calcium levels can cause sleep problems. If you eat in order to increase calcium in your bloodstream, it tells your brain that it’s okay to sleep.
5. Better Sleep with Kale
Kale and other dark, leafy greens are high in calcium. You don’t have to eat it just before sleep in order to have it help you get to sleep better. Kale and similar greens will increase the amount of calcium in your system so that you can get to sleep better and can stay asleep for longer periods of time. Calcium is not a hypnotic or sedative – instead it naturally allows your body to get to sleep.
6. Better Sleep with Bananas
Bananas are high in potassium and vitamin B6. We need vitamin B6 in order to make melatonin. You don’t have to eat bananas right before sleep. Just having enough vitamin B6 in your system will make sure that melatonin is made and stored by the pineal gland. It is released in a circadian pattern so that you have higher levels of melatonin at night and lower levels during the day.
When To Eat for Better Sleep
You would normally eat any of the above 6 foods for your dinner or even during the day. The important thing is to build up the levels of the key ingredients outlined above to a level sufficient to promote sleepiness.
You want to leave at least a couple of hours between finishing a large meal, and going to bed.
As a general rule, you’ll also want to avoid alcohol and heavy meals before going to bed.
Here’s a bonus tip: there are 3 drinks which have been used for a long time, to aid a better night’s sleep.
Better Sleep with Drinks
You can drink these during the evening, and/or just before going to bed.
- Lemon Balm, a member of the mint family, is useful when made up as a tea. Simply add 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried lemon balm leaves to 1 cup of hot water and steep for 10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of valerian for even better results.
- Chamomile is a very well known treatment for insomnia. Buy ready-made organic chamomile tea from a health food store.
- Pure, unsweetened cherry juice is a tart drink that contains melatonin.
These are just some of the foods you can enjoy as part of a healthy diet containing calcium, tryptophan, and vitamin B6 so that the body and brain have the basic nutrients necessary for getting to sleep – and staying asleep all night long.
Plus, the nutrients in these foods have many other benefits for health and wellness, so you really can’t go wrong.
Do you sleep well, or not? What do you use to help you get to sleep (if anything)?Let me know in the comments below.
Please share these safe, natural sleep enhancers with your friends and family – sharing buttons below and right.
Very interesting. Not at all what I was expecting. Turkey yes, bananas surprised me. Love yogurt, it doesn’t like me so dairy is out. Kale is a surprise too. Thanks for this. I try to remember my chamomile tea but didn’t know about the cherry juice. Learn something new every day.
Yes, cherry juice is an interesting one, isn’t it? It’s difficult to get where I live, but there’s another shop at the other end of the island that might just have it,and if so then I’ll try it. What a pity yogurt doesn’t like you! I love red wine but it hates me – very sad! Thanks for stopping by Marlene, and I hope the article works for you!