Tossing and turning, wondering why that dog keeps barking in the distance? Knock-out pills may not be the answer. Here are five foods to banish your insomnia.
Peanuts
Peanuts are a top source of niacin, which helps to increase the release of serotonin into the system. Serotonin is a feel-good hormone that helps reduce stress and calm your mood. The sodium content in salted or dry-roasted peanuts means they are best avoided, but that doesn’t mean you having to munch your way through a bag of monkey nuts like some eight-year-old the morning after Halloween 1989.
Natural peanut butter comes in a variety of types, and not all are particularly bad for you. The downside of peanuts is that they do have a high caloric content, so small doses are the way to go.
Warm milk
There is a reason why this is the most famous of natural remedies for the restless nightwalkers among us – it works.
Milk also contains tryptophan amino acid which helps you to fall asleep faster. Meanwhile, the calcium contained in cow juice helps to regulate your brain’s production of melatonin – the chemical that helps to regulate your sleep cycle.
Also, the dozy childhood association many have with drinking warm milk before promptly conking out means there is a psychological imperative involved that can help you towards a restful night.
Grapes
Is there no end to the gifts these multi-coloured orbs bequeath us? No. No there isn’t. Grapes are one of the few fruits that contain sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. This means adding them into your diet can help re-jig your circadian rhythms back into sync so you feel awake when you’re supposed to and sleepy when appropriate.
Cherries
Cherries are among the few fruits to rival grapes for melatonin content which means they too can help regulate your internal sleep clock.
The researchers who tested tart cherries and found their high levels of melatonin suggest putting a handful away about one hour before you plan to hit the hay or ahead of long journeys you want to sleep through.
Bananas
Our phallic friend the banana is crammed full of both potassium and magnesium – both of which work as a natural muscle relaxant and stress reliever. They also contain an amino acid called L-tryptophan. Once this stuff gets as far as your brain, it is converted into 5-HTP which in turn is turned into sleep-inducing serotonin and melatonin.
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