Introduction: Many people believe that eating before bed is bad for your health, especially for women who are conscious of their figure, who feel that it's hard to digest and will affect their body shape. In fact, some foods eaten before bed can actually help you relax and improve your sleep quality.
1. Warm Milk
The idea that drinking a warm cup of milk before bed aids sleep is well-known. This is because milk contains a biochemical substance called tryptophan, which induces drowsiness, as well as trace amounts of opiate-like substances. These substances have a certain sedative and hypnotic effect and play a key role in the brain's sleep cycle. They can temporarily suppress the brain's mental activity, making you want to sleep, without any side effects.
Calcium, on the other hand, helps the brain make full use of this tryptophan. Pouring warm milk into a bottle can also give you a warm, childhood feeling, gently telling you, "Relax, everything is fine." Moreover, the milk sticks to the stomach wall for better absorption, and the calcium in milk can also relieve stress, making it even more beneficial for the elderly's sleep.
Milk, Fruit, and Cereal
2. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is a top choice for a bedtime beverage mainly because of its gentle sedative effect, making it the best natural remedy for calming the mind and spirit.
Chamomile tea comes from the chamomile plant and is often used as a nerve relaxant. Its 5,7-dihydroxyflavone components play a therapeutic role in treating insomnia, an effective component also found in passionflower. To achieve the best results, it's recommended to drink a cup of chamomile tea 45-60 minutes before bed. This tea relaxes you without causing drowsiness.
Eight Treasure Chamomile Tea
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3. Bananas
Bananas are known as "sleeping pills in a peel." They can stabilize serotonin and melatonin, contain magnesium to relax muscles, and are rich in dietary fiber, which can promote bowel movements. Therefore, bananas are an excellent choice if you want a snack before bed.
Recommendation: Diced bananas paired with yogurt can also be beneficial for skin beauty.
Banana-flavored Milk
4. Honey
Add a little honey to your warm milk or vanilla tea. Some glucose can prompt your brain to stop producing orexin, a neurotransmitter recently discovered to be linked to staying awake.
While large amounts of sugar are stimulating, a small amount of glucose can signal the brain to secrete orexin (a newly discovered neurotransmitter related to cognitive response). Therefore, adding a few drops of honey to warm milk or vanilla tea can also help with relaxation before sleep.
Homemade Honey Yogurt
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5. Potatoes
Everyone knows that potatoes can help with weight loss, but did you know they can also help you sleep? They can clear acids that interfere with tryptophan, which induces sleep. To achieve this effect, you just need to mash a baked potato and mix it into warm milk to eat.
A small baked potato won't disrupt your digestive system; on the contrary, it can clear the acidic compounds that hinder tryptophan's hypnotic effect. If you make it into mashed potatoes with warm milk, the effect will be even better!
Creamy Golden Mashed Potatoes
6. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great bedtime snack, rich in N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine. Oatmeal can clear acidic substances in the body that affect sleep, relax nerves, and has a gentle sedative effect. Oatmeal can promote the secretion of insulin, helping tryptophan signal the brain that it's time to sleep. Furthermore, oatmeal releases glucose steadily during sleep, preventing nightmares caused by low blood sugar.
Recommendation: Cooking a small bowl of cereal and mixing in a little honey is a perfect choice. Try chewing it heartily; it's delicious and healthy. If you add an equal amount of Job's tears, it can not only improve your skin but also boost metabolism and prevent edema.
Corn and Oat Milk Pudding
7. Almonds
Almonds are convenient to eat, have a significant satiating effect, and their special cell wall structure prevents the body from absorbing fat. Almonds also contain tryptophan and magnesium, a great remedy for relaxing muscles. The rich tryptophan that calms the nerves and the mineral magnesium that relaxes muscles can help improve sleep quality. Therefore, eating a small amount of heart-healthy nuts is another clever trick for inducing sleep!
Recommendation: You can make a mixed nut snack with American almonds, raw peanuts, and raisins.
Almond Cream Cocoa Cookies
8. Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds can be called a "natural mood booster," rich in Omega-3 and fatty acids.
The genes of flaxseeds are known for strengthening the mind and brain, improving sleep quality, enhancing immunity, promoting growth and development, and developing brain cells... Flaxseeds are of great help in improving the intellectual and learning energy of teenagers! Flaxseeds also regulate yin and tonify deficiency in a dual-way, and have been praised by ancient historians as a natural "prairie fish oil"!
When you encounter obstacles in life and feel down, try sprinkling two large tablespoons of flaxseeds on your relaxing oatmeal. It might have an unexpected effect.
Black Soy Milk with Chia Seeds and Flaxseeds
9. Whole Wheat Bread
A slice of toast, paired with tea and honey, can help the body release insulin. This insulin allows tryptophan to reach the brain and be converted into serotonin. It's like someone whispering in your ear, "It's time to go to sleep."
If you feel hungry before bed, you can choose whole wheat bread. Have another slice, paired with tea and honey, to help the body release insulin, which allows tryptophan to reach the brain and be converted into serotonin.
Whole Wheat Bread
10. Turkey
Every Thanksgiving, people can enjoy a fragrant nap, all thanks to turkey, which is considered the best source of tryptophan. However, this is just a modern myth. Tryptophan starts to work when your stomach is mostly empty rather than full, and you have a significant amount of carbohydrates rather than a large amount of protein. Laying one or two thin slices of turkey on a few slices of whole wheat bread late at night might have you starting your sleep journey right in the kitchen.
If none of the foods above can help you fall asleep, perhaps you should check your sleep habits to find out what is keeping you so excited late at night.
Slice-style Roasted Turkey