The Best Foods to Eat Before Bed

About a third of people struggle with insomnia, and sure, there are a number of psychological conditions associated with sleep disruption, but it could also be linked to what you eat.

New research has revealed that over two thirds (69%) of people feel sleep-deprived, and our love of spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol may be the cause.

Another subject to mention is what most people face when they’re trying to eat healthily: you’re starving right before bed, but you don’t want to eat something that will derail your diet. Well, going to bed hungry could actually hurt your weight-loss efforts. A rumbling tummy means an unrestful sleep, and a likelihood that you’ll wake up so starving, you’ll make unhealthy breakfast choices.

There are four key areas that eating before bed will impact:

• the appearance of your face the following morning
• your energy level the following morning
• your overall health
• your weight

How Eating Before Bed Impacts Your Sustained Energy Level

In a perfect world, you eat your dinner as early in the evening as possible, and you don’t snack after dinner. However, who among us lives in a perfect world?

Sometimes, having something a bit sweet after dinner helps us to relax and feel sleepy so that we can have a good rest overnight and then awaken with high energy levels the next morning. It depends, in part, on how many calories you are allowed each day.

People who work out consistently and intensely have to time their eating carefully because if they eat too early, they will suddenly become hungry just as they’re trying to fall asleep. Sounds like a little thing, but it can feel torturous.

Worse, athletes can also sometimes wake up in the middle of the night feeling ravenous – however, this is unlikely to affect you unless you exercise intensely every single day. Remember, much of the time when we wake up in the morning feeling exhausted, what’s really going on is we have a food hangover.

How Eating Before Bed Influences Your Overall Health

There has been a growing body of evidence that calorie restriction is one of the keys to a long lifespan. The general theory is that overnight your body likes to concentrate on healing and cell restoration.

However, we divert the body’s overnight focus from healing and toward digestion instead when we eat too much too closely before bed (and, especially, if we eat the wrong foods before bed)

Best food to eat before bed

Certain foods and beverages could actually help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Here are some things to put on your grocery list for more restful nights.

1. Complex Carbs

Skip the white bread, refined pasta, and sugary, baked goods, which may reduce serotonin levels and impair sleep. Instead, choose stick-to-your-ribs whole grains for your bedtime snack: Popcorn, oatmeal, or whole-wheat crackers with nut butter are all good choices.

2. A Handful of Nuts

Nuts are a good source of heart-healthy fats. And almonds and walnuts, specifically, contain melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate your sleep/wake cycle. Eating them can increase your blood levels of the hormone, helping you sleep more soundly.

3. Cottage Cheese

Foods that are high in lean protein, like cottage cheese, also pack the amino acid tryptophan, which may increase serotonin levels. Serotonin is a brain chemical and low levels of it can contribute to insomnia. To sweeten it up, top the cottage cheese with raspberries, which are rich sources of melatonin.

4. A Cup of Bedtime Tea

A nightly cup of tea (sans caffeine, of course) can be a perfect relaxing ritual. Chamomile, ginger, and peppermint are calming choices for bedtime.

5. Warm Milk

Scientifically, there may be some link between the tryptophan and melatonin content of milk and improved sleep. But perhaps more powerful is the psychological link between warm milk and bedtime as a child. Just like hot tea, a warm drink of milk can provide the perfect soothing backdrop for a relaxing bedtime routine.

6. Fruits

Certain fruits that contain melatonin may help you fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night. For instance, tart cherry juice and whole tart cherries contain a lot of melatonin, and bananas, pineapple, and oranges are also sources.

If you have insomnia, eating two kiwis before bed can increase your sleep duration by an hour over the course of a month. Other fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants (like berries, prunes, raisins, and plums) may have a similar effect by helping to counteract the oxidative stress caused by a sleep disorder.

ADDITION

Sleep deprivation may require a visit to the doctor and medication to be completely remedied. However, you can take certain actions and precautions to make sure you are getting the best night’s sleep possible.

Along with avoiding certain foods and drinks, managing your environment, creating a routine and supplementing with the ideal mattress and sleep aid devices can increase your odds of sleeping through the night.

Choosing the right mattress is important. Our WHISPER mattress is ergonomically designed to offer more support where your body needs it and less where it does not. The dynamic foams adjust as well to a man with 120kg, as they do to a woman with 50kg. Ensuring that the spine is aligned regardless of sleeping position, and the shape and size of the sleeper.