Are you one of the 50 million Americans that have trouble falling asleep? The quality of sleep has an enormous impact on daily life, as poor sleep can affect your work, concentration, and ability to interact with others. During sleep, both physical and mental restoration take place, allowing you to feel fresh and alert in the morning.
The health benefits of a good night’s rest are countless: it helps keep you happy, your brain sharp, your immune system strong, your waistline trim, your skin looking youthful and lowers your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Some natural chemicals in the body enhance sleep, and diet plays a big part: Adding these foods to your diet may help to increase your odds of successful slumber.
1. Fish
Most fish, especially salmon, halibut and tuna boast vitamin B6, which is needed to make melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone triggered by darkness.
2. Jasmine Rice
The greater amounts of insulin triggered by the high-glycemic-index meals increased the ratio of sleep-inducing tryptophan relative to other amino acids in the blood, allowing proportionately more to get into the brain.
3. Tart Cherry Juice
Melatonin-rich tart cherry juice has been shown to aid sleep. Drink a cup of tart cherry juice twice a day for relief of severe insomnia.
4. Yogurt
Dairy products boast healthy doses of calcium, helping to prevent being calcium-deficient, which may make it difficult to fall asleep.
5. Whole Grains
Whole grains are rich in magnesium and consuming too little magnesium may make it harder to stay asleep.
6. Kale
Green leafy vegetables boost healthy doses of calcium too.
7. Bananas
Bananas are well-known for being rich in potassium, they are also a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to make melatonin.
8. Chickpeas
Chickpeas boast vitamin B6 too, which is needed to make melatonin.
9. Fortified Cereals
Fortified cereals are also boast vitamin B6, which is needed to make melatonin.
10. Valerian tea
Qualified as a sedative, its active ingredients depress the central nervous system and relax smooth muscle tissue. In case you don’t have Valerian tea, try chamomile tea. It works for most people, but it’s not as effective as Valerian tea.
A good night’s sleep problem solver:
• Keep a sleep log for several weeks to help identify activities and behavior that may interfere with your sleep. Each day, write down the times you wake up and go to bed, and when you drink caffeinated beverages, exercise, and take naps.
• Exercise regularly, preferably in the late afternoon. Do not exercise strenuously with 2-3 hours of bedtime, as this may impair your ability to fall asleep.
• Don’t take a long nap during the day, this may make it more difficult to fall asleep at night.
• Eat at regular times during the day, and avoid a heavy meal close to bedtime.
• After lunch stay away from anything that contains caffeine.
• Don’t smoke for an hour or two before bedtime, in fact, don’t smoke at all.
• Avoid excessive mental situation before bedtime.
• Establish a schedule to help regulate your body’s inner clock. Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, and follow the same bedtime preparations each night to create a sleep ritual.
• A warm bath or a few minutes of reading in bed, listening to soothing music, or meditating are all useful sleep rituals.
• Keep your bedroom dark and quiet.
• If you can’t sleep, don’t stay in bed fretting for more than 15 minutes or so. Get up, go to another room, and read or watch TV until you are sleepy. Be sure to get up at your regular time next day.
10 Foods and Suggestions to Improve Your Sleep
By PositiveMed Team-Costa Rica
Edited By: Stephanie Dawson
