Back in the days, people had a lot better health. You must have noticed that your grandparents are still doing their daily activities perfectly well. If you ask them the reason behind their healthy physic, you’ll know how they’ve been eating healthy and sleeping tight all their life. Today let’s discuss some healthy options that you can have to eat before bed.
The good habit made them strong and stable even after centuries. Food and sleep are also of great value to your health.
Having a good sleep is incredibly important to your optimal health.
It can reduce your risk of developing some chronic diseases, keep your brain healthy, and improve your immune system.
Experts recommend that you should get between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But many people are struggling to get enough.
You can use several techniques to promote good sleep, including improvements to your diet, as certain foods and drinks have sleep-enhancing properties.
Here are the 7 best foods you can eat before bed, which will increase your sleep quality.
1. Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is a popular herbal tea that can provide a variety of health benefits. Chamomile tea contains compounds that can enhance sleepiness and has been shown to enhance overall sleep quality. Thus, this is a food that you can eat before bed.
It’s well known for its flavones. Flavones are a type of antioxidants that minimize inflammation.
There is also evidence that drinking chamomile tea will improve the immune system, alleviate anxiety and depression, and improve skin health. Also, Chamomile tea has several unique properties that can enhance the quality of sleep.
Chamomile tea, in particular, contains apigenin. This antioxidant binds to certain receptors in your brain that can enhance sleepiness and reduce insomnia.
Those who were drinking chamomile tea have shown fewer signs of depression, commonly associated with sleep issues. Drinking chamomile tea before going to bed is worth doing if you want to boost your sleep quality.
2. Fatty Fish
A research study showed that fatty fish might be healthy food for improved sleep. Over months, the study showed that people who consumed salmon three days a week had better overall sleep and increased daytime functioning.
Researchers conclude that fatty fish can help sleep by ensuring a better dose of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids involved in the body’s regulation of serotonin. This research focused mainly on fish-eating during the winter months when vitamin D levels appear to be lower.
3. Bananas
Bananas are some of the cheapest and healthiest energy-enhancing ingredients in the world. It’s pretty standard to add a banana to your morning routine. But, we recommend that you try adding a few to your nighttime regime as well. Magnesium helps to calm the muscles and alleviate agitation. This helps to get you to a relaxed state that works as well for sleep as it does for the body exertion.
Bananas also include melatonin and serotonin. Both of them are neurotransmitters that help improve and control the circadian cycles and ensure a decent night’s sleep. Also, bananas produce another essential compound, tryptophan, an amino acid that enhances the body’s production of serotonin.
4. Almonds
Nuts are some of the healthiest foods that you can eat before bed. Because they offer a balanced dose of many essential minerals and nutrients that help boost your body’s function. One of the best nuts you can choose, though, is the almonds.
Almonds are some of the strongest magnesium sources. Magnesium is a vital mineral that:
- Helps improve relaxation
- Decreases muscle stress
- And sets you in a mood for an excellent sleep
Almonds are also a significant source of melatonin, the primary sleep regulatory hormone.
Also, almonds contain many other essential nutrients, such as phosphorus, manganese, and riboflavin. Plus, you even get a good dose of antioxidants, monounsaturated fat, and fiber with almonds. Almonds also help to reduce inflammation in the body.
5. Kiwi
Kiwi is a small, tasty fruit that packs a lot of flavours and offers a wealth of health benefits.
When it comes to inducing sleep, kiwi’s effectiveness comes from its high serotonin content, which helps to control the circadian cycles and improve sleep efficiency. Kiwi also helps minimize inflammation and enhance digestion, two causes that impact your sleep.
Also, adding kiwis to your diet will also offer many other benefits due to the high availability of antioxidants, including carotenoids and vitamin C. Kiwis provide essential nutrients such as potassium, folate, and other important trace minerals. So, you can consider this food to eat before sleep.
6. Walnuts
Walnuts have one of the best ratios of melatonin per ounce of any food. Melatonin is one of the body’s core sleep and circadian rhythm regulators. So, it tends to follow that walnuts are an excellent option to eat before sleep.
Besides being perfect for sleep, walnuts are also one of the most nutritious nuts, packing nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acids, and more than 19 minerals and vitamins.
Often since a single ounce of walnuts contains 4 grams of protein, the nut produces a healthy mixture of fat and protein that is perfect for staving appetite and to reduce the risk of late-night binging.
Some reports also point to walnuts as excellent food for lowering cholesterol levels and improving heart function.
7. Milk
For many Americans who grew up on a nighttime ritual that included a glass of warm milk before bed, nostalgia alone is enough to create a sedative effect.
However, there is some science as to why milk evokes warm feelings—milk packs, copious melatonin, and tryptophan quantities. These 2 neurotransmitters are at the centre of helping you to sleep and keeping your sleeping cycles stable.
A glass of warm milk might be all you need to establish a useful soothing session before you reach the haystack.
When is the best time to eat before bed?
In general, most people have dinner around two to three hours before bedtime. It’s generally an excellent time to digest, relax, and feel the welcome yawns signalling bedtime. However, if you’re used to having a big dinner, you might feel a little grumble in your tummy in front of your bed. We all know that it can be hard to sleep with an empty stomach. So, it’s all right to feed right before you turn in. Only make sure it’s a small snack that’s rich in tryptophan. When it comes to the best thing to eat before bed, that means put down the ice cream and pick up the peanuts. It may be difficult at first, but your body is going to thank you.
The Bottom Line
In the end, eating before bedtime can be unhealthy and harmful to you. It would be best to stop eating a big meal at least 2 to 3 hours before sleeping while you can consume nutritious food. Also, you must ensure that your caloric expenditure exceeds your caloric intake. You won’t gain weight from late evening snacking this way. And you’ll feel a lot better in the morning, too.
