Many people believe that eating before bed is bad for your health, especially for women who are conscious of their figure, as they think it's hard to digest and can affect their body shape. In fact, some foods eaten before bed can help you relax before sleep, improve sleep quality, soothe tense muscles, calm nervous emotions, and bring about a sense of peace, thereby overcoming insomnia.
I. Foods Rich in Melatonin
The reason foods rich in melatonin can improve sleep is because a person's sleep quality is closely related to a substance in the brain called melatonin. At night, darkness stimulates the human body to synthesize and secrete melatonin, which circulates in the blood and acts on the sleep center to produce a strong drowsiness. When it gets light, the melatonin is reduced by the stimulation of light, causing a person to wake from sleep.
Research has found that after middle age, the amount of melatonin in the human body gradually decreases. At age 40, it's a quarter of what it was in youth; at 50, it's a sixth; and at 60, it drops to a tenth. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people can promote sleep by supplementing with foods rich in melatonin. These foods include oats, sweet corn, tomatoes, and bananas.
Corn and Meat Patty
II. Foods That Counteract Caffeine
The stimulating effects of tea can affect sleep. Therefore, if drinking a lot of tea during the day affects your sleep, you can drink water infused with a few grams of sour jujube seeds before bed, or cook a porridge with sour jujube seeds and rice and drink a small bowl before sleeping. Sour jujube seeds contain compounds such as jujuboside A, jujuboside B, betulinic acid, betulinol, and three types of sterols. They can lower the level of norepinephrine in the blood, thereby counteracting poor sleep caused by caffeine.
Green Tea Peanut Tangyuan
III. Foods That Inhibit Serotonin
If you often feel drowsy during the day but have unstable sleep at night, you can eat a steamed bun or a piece of bread before bed. This is because this type of person secretes more tryptophan during the day, which is converted into serotonin. Serotonin has a hypnotic effect and causes drowsiness. However, at night, the body's tryptophan levels are insufficient, making it difficult to fall asleep peacefully. Therefore, eating some steamed buns or bread at night can increase the body's tryptophan levels, making it easier to fall asleep.
Bread Pudding
IV. Foods That Regulate the Nervous System
If you have long-term insufficient intake of zinc and copper, after a period of time, the body will be affected by the lack of these two trace elements, impacting the energy metabolism of brain cells and the regulation of the nervous system. The endocrine system is often in an excited state, making it difficult to fall asleep. In this case, eating more foods rich in zinc and copper at dinner, such as oysters, fish, lean meat, shrimp, and eel, can effectively improve symptoms of neurasthenia and ensure good sleep.
Low-Oil Boiled Fish
V. Kiwi Fruit
The occurrence of sleep disorders is related to excessive excitation of the central nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system, or the effect of a large secretion of stress hormones. Kiwi fruit, rich in calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C, helps the synthesis and transmission of neurotransmitters. In particular, calcium has the effect of stabilizing emotions and inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system. Blending golden kiwi fruit with milk, honey, and ice cubes to make a summer smoothie not only helps the body absorb vitamin E from the fruit seeds but also has the effect of increasing skin elasticity.
Kiwi Flesh Yogurt
VI. Milk
Milk contains two hypnotic substances: one is tryptophan, which promotes the secretion of the sleep-inducing neurotransmitter serotonin from brain nerve cells; the other is peptides that regulate physiological functions. Among them, "opioid-like peptides" can bind with the central nervous system, exerting a narcotic and analgesic effect similar to opioids, making a person feel comfortable all over, which helps relieve fatigue and fall asleep. Drinking a glass of milk before bed contains enough of these hypnotic substances to have a sedative effect.
Double-Skin Milk Pudding
VII. Apple
Apples can treat deficiency of the spleen with flourishing fire and replenish qi and blood. They are quite effective for insomnia caused by deficiency of both the heart and spleen, yin deficiency with flourishing fire, disharmony of the liver and gallbladder, or disharmony of the stomach and intestines. In the aromatic components of apples, alcohols account for 92% and carbonyl compounds account for 6%. Their rich aromatic fragrance has a strong sedative effect on the human nerves and can induce sleep. If you don't have apples at home, you can try drinking a cup of warm water with a spoonful of vinegar, which can also promote sleep. In addition, placing a peeled or cut citrus fruit on the nightstand and inhaling its aromatic fragrance can calm the central nervous system and help you fall asleep.
Sweet Apple Rings
VIII. Walnut
Walnuts are a nourishing strengthening food that is beneficial for neurasthenia, forgetfulness, insomnia, dreams, and poor appetite. Eating some walnut kernels every morning and evening, or taking 10 grams of a mixture of crushed walnut kernels and black sesame seeds twice a day, is beneficial for sleep. According to modern scientific analysis, walnut kernels contain 15.4% protein, 40-63% fat, 10% carbohydrates, as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, carotene, riboflavin, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. The delicious, fatty walnut kernels are not only nutritious but also have special therapeutic effects.
Walnut Yogurt Muffin
IX. Wheat
Wheat is sweet and mild in nature and has the effect of nourishing blood and calming the mind. Use 60 grams of floating wheat, add 15 jujube dates and 30 grams of licorice. Cook with 4 bowls of water until it reduces to 1 bowl, and take it in the morning and evening. It can improve appetite and nutritionally prevent sub-health.
Five-Fingered Peach and Wheat Soup