Food and sleep are interrelated, and you can hardly discuss one without the other. In fact, in the medical diagnosis of sleep disorders, one of the essential factors to consider is food intake. It may require a thorough examination of the quality and quantity of food intake. In addition, a change of diet may be the simplest and cheapest way to deal with any sleep disorder.
Without closely monitoring food intake, achieving healthy sleep hygiene may be nothing more than a daydream. For example, while the most common sleep disorder is lack of sleep, known as insomnia, one of the best ways to cure it is to change diet or selective eating. As in the case of insomnia, one in every ten persons suffer from one type of insomnia or the other.
The primary culprit of insomnia is the stress on the body and mind. It can be fixed by natural recovery methods, which majorly entails changing your food. No doubt, changing your diet is not only natural; it is also straightforward and effective in healing. The simplest way to approach this is to choose some sleep-inducing foods to eat at night when preparing for bed.
Taking these food items increases the chances of your body secreting the sleeping hormone. As a result, you can measure lengthier and healthier sleeping time. However, there is a warning here because overeating at night will hurt your chances of a sound sleep. And that does not even have anything to do with a particular food.
Now, let us look at some of the best foods that can boost your chances of good sleep hygiene.
10 Best Foods for Excellent Food Hygiene
- Poultry
Poultry such as chicken and turkey often contains an essential ingredient for sleep. That is Tryptophan, an essential amino acid that you get when you reach the flesh of any of these birds. You can also get it from other derivative nutrients; its process helps your body produce serotonin. Serotonin is a byproduct hormone that enhances your body’s ability to make another hormone known as melatonin. Melatonin, on the other hand, helps your body to control sleep cycles better.
- Fish
Fish is another natural food item to increase your sleep hygiene because it contains vitamin B6. The primary sources of this vitamin include salmon, halibut, and tuna, which are rich because they live in salty waters. In addition, vitamin B6 is one of the prerequisites of melatonin synthesis, which can also be triggered by being in the dark. Therefore, fish should be part of your dinner if you want to have a better chance of sleeping with ease.
- Yoghourt
If you need healthy sleep hygiene, yogurt should be your friend. Yogurt contains calcium, which helps process the two essential hormones for sleep: melatonin and Tryptophan. On the other hand, calcium is also present in any dairy products such as cheese and crackers. So, if you don’t like making yogurt, you can explore other related dairy products and feel good.
- Bananas
Bananas are characteristic for the production of potassium that can help you stay asleep when you get in. This nutrient richness also contains magnesium and Tryptophan, also natural sedatives. You can depend on bananas to increase your sleep hygiene.
- Honey
Honey is a viable replacement for white sugar, and it does much good when it comes to the subject of sleep hygiene. At the same time, if you take much honey, you cannot run out of glucose, an essential ingredient that lowers orexin. Orexin, by the way, is a neurotransmitter in the brain that increases the brain’s alertness. Therefore, using honey can reverse your brain’s attention with a good dose.
- Kale
Just like yogurt, Kale is a leafy green vegetable that is also rich in calcium, which is an essential ingredient. The primary use is to make those sleep hormones in your system start work.
- Nuts
Nuts are great for your sleep hygiene, and you can start with walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds. All these seeds and nuts are efficient in increasing the level of serotonin with the presence of Tryptophan and magnesium.
- Whole grains
A particular category of grains that we refer to as whole grains are capable of producing insulin. This hormone can promote the secretion of Tryptophan for brain activities. In addition, they also contain magnesium that can refresh your body for a better sleep that is deep and refreshing. A low magnesium level in the body is responsible for waking up at night.
- White rice
White rice is essential for sleep due to the high glycemic index inside it. By implication, it has a natural tendency to give a natural rise in the blood sugar level. As a result, the body can secrete more insulin into the bloodstream. Following insulin secretion, the body can also respond by secreting Tryptophan, which activates the brain to sleep efficiently and regularly.
- Eggs
The last but not the minor food item for sleep is the egg, which will be ideal for a breakfast meal. However, watch out for the consumption of eggs that can make you sleepy because of the high tryptophan content. On the other hand, try to take egg at night as supper and check how it influences your sleep quality and quantity.
Conclusion
Finally, the top 10 food items above can increase your sleep hygiene to the best level possible. The food items can induce your sleep time and even help you stay asleep. However, other food items can act similarly. Then, remember that some of the essential nutrients in these food items include Tryptophan, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6. If you try any of the ten food items at night, you can begin to see the difference.