10 Foods to Have Before Going to Bed

The majority of medical professionals advise against consuming heavy meals right before going to bed. Do late-night nibbles affect your ability to get a good night’s sleep? According to research, a person's ability to fall asleep depends entirely on the food consumed prior to going to bed.

Getting a good night's sleep is vital to your health and well-being. You can reduce your risk of facing any chronic illnesses by having a restful slumber daily. It also helps to strengthen your immune system as a whole.

A lot of individuals find it challenging to acquire the 7 to 9 hours of unbroken sleep per night, as suggested by most experts. However, making changes in the diet can be helpful in getting a good night's sleep, as varying beverages and food items have sleep-enhancing characteristics.

10 Best Foods to Eat Before Going to Bed to Enjoy an Improved Slumber

1. Cherries

Researchers recently discovered that opting to drink tart cherry juice increases melatonin levels, improving sleep efficiency and quality. Taking melatonin supplements has been demonstrated to improve circadian rhythms and alleviate sleeplessness.

2. Kiwi

Should we eat fruits at night? This natural sleep-inducing food will have you curled up under your cover in no time. A study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that participants who ate two kiwifruits around 60 minutes before bedtime, every night, for 4 weeks, fell asleep 35% faster than those who didn't eat this fruit. 

Additionally, it is a source of the mood-lifting hormone serotonin, found in abundance in this fruit due to its high antioxidant and carotenoid content. Low levels of this slumber hormone, associated with REM sleep (rapid eye movement), will lead to insomnia. As with kiwi, which is high in folate, one of the health problems related to a shortage in folate is sleeplessness.

3. Almonds

Almonds, cashews and peanuts are recommended as excellent night-time snacks. This is because of the high calcium content of almonds, which are a must-have in any flat-belly kitchen. 

This duo's combined efforts help soothe the body and ease muscle tension. When calcium is ingested, it helps the brain convert tryptophan into sleep-promoting melatonin. 

4. Chamomile Tea

As a herbal tea, Chamomile may have many health advantages. The flavones in it are well known. Many chronic diseases are brought on by inflammation, which the flavone family of antioxidants works on to eradicate them from your system. It has also been shown to enhance your immune system, reduce anxiety and sadness, and improve your skin's health. Another reason to give chamomile tea a try is its sleep-inducing properties.

Apigenin is specifically found in chamomile tea. This antioxidant attaches to receptors in your brain that may help you fall asleep and stay asleep more easily by increasing your drowsiness and decreasing your sleeplessness. Sleep problems are often linked to depression, and individuals who drink chamomile tea are likely to experience less of it. Having this beverage before going to bed can help get a better night's sleep, so give it a shot.

5. Fatty Fish

It is good to eat fatty seafood like salmon, tuna and trout. Vitamin D is what sets them apart from the rest. For instance, Sockeye salmon has 570 IU or international units of vitamin D in a  serving of 85 grams. That's 70% of your DV or daily value. 81% is the daily farmed rainbow trout intake recommended. 

Additionally, fatty fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as DHA and EPA, which are beneficial for the human body. EPA and DHA's anti-inflammatory properties have long been recognized. There's also evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can assist in improving cognitive function, as well as preventing heart disease. Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids additionally are known to augment sleep quality by increasing serotonin synthesis. Both of them are found in fatty fish. 

6. Walnuts

Walnuts are kind of tree nuts that are widely consumed. A 28-gram serving of walnuts includes more than nineteen types of minerals and vitamins and approximately 1.9 grams of fibre. Manganese and copper are also found in abundance in walnuts.

Linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids which are found in high proportions in walnuts, make them an excellent source of fat. The 4.3 grams of protein in each ounce may also help to reduce hunger.

Walnuts help in improving cardiovascular health. Many studies have looked into their ability to reduce cholesterol, which is a major risk factor for heart disease. Walnut's fatty acid profile may also aid in the improvement of sleep quality. A host of foods items include omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is then processed by the body into DHA for brain and eye health. DHA may increase serotonin synthesis.

However, if you have trouble falling asleep, try munching on a few walnuts before going to bed. About a quarter of a cup of walnuts is the ideal serving size.

7. Cereal with Low-Fat Milk

As a night-time snack rather than breakfast, a combination of low-sugar cereal with skim milk is ideal. The sleep-inducing hormone serotonin is synthesised from the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in milk. On the contrary, whole milk with a higher fat content will take longer to digest, keeping you up instead of putting you to sleep. Hence, skim milk is preferable in such cases.

The time it takes to fall asleep can be reduced by half when you consume a high-glycemic carbohydrate such as jasmine rice (or rice cereal) 4 hours (240 minutes) before bed, as reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

In other words, high-glycemic carbs can assist raise the ratio of tryptophan in your blood by diverting other amino acids to your muscles, which causes blood sugar and insulin to climb more quickly than with low-GI foods. You will be able to get more of the sedative into your brain since tryptophan is able to compete with the other amino acids for entry into your brain.

8. Low-Fat Yoghurt Parfait

Combine low-fat Greek yoghurt, honey and a banana for a tryptophan triple treat. Tryptophan is found in both yoghurt and bananas, and the carbs in the banana will aid in the absorption of the tryptophan-rich foods. Combine the yoghurt with some uncooked oats, which are an excellent source of tryptophan.

9. Passionflower tea

How can a cup of tea not cure any ailment? At the very least, zero insomnia! Flavones, flavonoids and resins in many herbal teas have sedative properties. Flavone chrysin, which is a mild sedative and excellent anti-anxiety component, is present in passionflower tea. This helps you relax at night so you can get a good night's sleep.

10. Cottage Cheese

Your weight loss objectives may suffer if you completely forget about healthy late night snacks for weight loss before going to sleep. To avoid going to sleep with a full stomach, try some cottage cheese. 

It contains the amino acid tryptophan as well as casein protein, a slow-releasing milk protein that helps curb night-time hunger pangs. To get an extra dose of tryptophan (the amino acid present in chickpeas), mix it with hummus or guacamole, or eat it on its own.

Other Sleep-Inducing Foods and Beverages 

• A wide variety of additional foods and beverages have been shown to aid in the process of falling asleep. Additionally, you might add a couple of multivitamin supplements like omega-3 fish oil capsules to meet your daily nutritional requirements. 

• As already mentioned high levels of the amino acid, tryptophan helps to raise serotonin and melatonin, which essentially assists in the sleeping process. However, in certain circumstances, little research has been done on the exact effects of these substances on sleep patterns.  

Some of the other sources of Tryptophan are: 

• Bananas: Found in the banana peels, Tryptophan has a number of benefits. The fruit itself does have a certain extent of magnesium. Both of them can be beneficial in improving sleep quality.  

• Oatmeal: The carbohydrate content of oatmeal is similar to rice, but it has higher fibre content and has been demonstrated to produce a level of sleepiness if consumed prior to bedtime. Certain evidence even suggests that oats contain tryptophan and melatonin, which aid with sleep. 

• Dairy products:  Items like plain yoghurt, milk and cottage cheese have Tryptophan. Milk, along with modest exercise, is known to be helpful in providing better sleep to older individuals.  

Conclusion: Final Thoughts!

Treating your sleep issues starts with figuring out what's causing them in the first place. Stress, noise or discomfort may be causing you to not get a good night's rest. Keeping a sleep journal is a great way to evaluate your sleeping habits and identify areas for improvement. 

You must often wonder about what food to eat at night? Even if you don't get a good night's sleep, what you consume during the day can keep you up at night. If you eat meals rich in sleep-inducing vitamins, minerals and nutrients, you will have no trouble drifting off to sleep at night.