Some certain fruits and vegetables have sleep-promoting properties
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a third of adults in the United States are not getting a healthy amount of sleep. Sleep quality affects your overall health and well-being, which is why it is so essential to make your sleep a top priority. Throughout this blog, we will list some of the best fruits and vegetables for sleep health. Make sure to take both traditional knowledge and scientific research into account when choosing which foods you want to eat to help with sleep.
Tart Cherry Juice
Cherries are naturally rich in melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for sleepiness. Healthline talks about how tart cherries also contain a good amount of tryptophan and anthocyanins, which are compounds that help create and lengthen the effects of melatonin. In October of 2011, a study showed that tart cherry juice concentrate improved both sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women, benefiting the management of disturbed sleep. So, tart cherry juice may be just as effective at helping with sleep as melatonin. Go ahead and have a glass before bed and drift off into a wonderful sleep.
Sweet Corn
Sleep Junkies writes in one of their articles about how sweet corn is rich in melatonin. One hundred grams of raw sweet corn contain 10 percent of your daily recommended magnesium. For those with celiac disease, sweet corn can be used as a substitute for rice since it’s gluten-free. Sweet corn digests quickly, won’t aggravate acid reflux, and eating some before bed will help you get a restful sleep.
Kiwi
Healthline states that kiwifruit may be one of the best foods to eat before bed. Serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate your sleep cycle, may attribute to the positive sleep effects of kiwifruit. Try 1-2 medium kiwifruit before bed and watch your sleep quality improve.
Edamame
Women’s Day discusses how edamame is the perfect nighttime snack – especially for those dealing with menopause-related symptoms. Soy-based products have a natural estrogen-like compound that can help to control nighttime hot flashes that keep some awake at night.
For those who aren’t dealing with menopause-related symptoms, edamame is still a great bedtime snack. They have a good source of vitamin B6 and contain isoflavones, which can increase serotonin production. In addition, Ohio State Medical Center writes about a 2015 Nutrition Journal study that found adults who consumed two or more servings of soy per day slept longer and reported the best-quality sleep.
Eat Right, Sleep Better
Paying more attention to the foods you are putting in your body throughout the day can re-wire your body and your brain to sleep better. So, the next time you have a sweet tooth before bed or are craving something salty, cut up some fresh kiwifruit or throw some salt on a handful of edamame for quality sleep.
Some other foods that can help with sleep: Pumpkin Seeds, Pistachios, Cocoa, and Blueberries.
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