HOW TO SLEEP BETTER BY EATING RIGHT

Nothing feels better than a good night’s sleep. And few things are as frustrating as a night of tossing and turning. It might surprise you to hear that the best sleep aid is actually your diet. What you eat throughout the day can help you sleep more than any pill ever could. The food you eat can have a strong effect on your sleep quality and sleep patterns. Here’s how to sleep better, starting from your diet!

Limit Alcohol Intake

It’s true that people who drink alcohol before bed tend to fall asleep more quickly than people who don’t. But when the booze wears off, it can wake you up and cut off the most important stages of restorative sleep. Alcohol can also aggravate sleep apnea and increase your chances of sleepwalking, sleep talking, and having memory problems.

So, while it’s tempting to rely on a nightcap to lull you off to dreamland, try swapping your cocktail out for a soothing cup of herbal tea (chamomile or peppermint are great) or a glass of tart cherry juice, which contains natural melatonin.

Eat a Mild Dinner

Bad news for spicy food lovers: if you’re prone to heartburn or acid reflux, eating spicy food before bed can aggravate your symptoms and make it hard to sleep. Spicy food can also worsen sleep apnea.

Red peppers in particular increase your core body temperature, which is the opposite of what you want at night. Your core body temperature actually naturally drops when you’re sleeping; by increasing it, you’re throwing off your body’s natural rhythms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to switch to a no-spice diet. Just try to limit hot sauce and curries to earlier in the day and let dinner be milder.

Reduce Late-Night Snacking

One study found that young adults who ate within 3 hours of bedtime woke up more often throughout the night than those who didn’t snack after dinner. Try to finish dinner a few hours before bed and let that be the last thing you eat all day.

If you find yourself getting ravenously hungry when you’re supposed to be sleeping, listen to your body. That can be a sign you’re not getting enough nutrients or calories during the day. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to leave your warm, cozy bed to get a snack. Try eating something hearty enough for dinner that you’ll be satisfied until the morning.

Try Tryptophan-Rich Foods

Just about everyone knows turkey and milk can make you sleepy – that’s why a glass of warm milk is a go-to-sleep aid for so many people. That’s because both foods contain tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you sleep. But they’re not your only options. Chicken, eggs, fish, cheese, and yogurt are also rich in tryptophan.

Get Enough B Vitamins

Vitamin B6 actually helps your body process tryptophan faster, turning It into sleep-inducing serotonin. Make sure you get enough vitamin V6 from foods like poultry, fish, chickpeas, and bananas.

Vitamin B3 (also known as niacin) also helps. That’s why it’s used in so many herbal sleep aids. It extends the REM cycle and helps limit the number of times you wake up in the middle of the night. You can find vitamin B3 in beets, pork, poultry, and peanuts.

If you’re finding yourself relying more and more on over-the-counter sleep aids to get a good night’s sleep, consider looking at your diet. A few easy changes can make a world of difference.