5 Foods That Help You Sleep

Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:

Cherries
Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.

Bananas
Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

Toast
Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep. Bring on sleepiness by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.

Oatmeal
Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal will trigger insulin production, raising blood sugar naturally and making you feel sleepy. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.

Warm milk
Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.

Cheers!

Hmm I need to stock up on cherries then, for the melatonin ofc :]

Good to know!

Does regular, cold milk have the same effects? Does heating milk have some effect on it?

I would just like to add, that Baked Potatoes have the same effect. I believe they do the same as the milk but I may be wrong.

Might I add turkey :B

I love warm milk! It's so relaxing and soothing! But it makes me feel old...

Also, dates are very high in tryptophan.. Try making a date shake.. and blending a few seedless dates with some milk.. drink for that sweet craving before bed. lovely.
You could also add a banana. Blend well.

Interesting, I usually have a banana with breakfast. I wonder if that's actually making me more tired instead of giving me more energy?

Two nights ago I had some warm milk. Since I was a little hyper, I decided to add honey to the mix. Tastes like shit!

I don't think the milk made me more tired, actually, I think it might have made me more awake. But maybe that was because I was so hyper :/

Just add whiskey to the list...(is it a food?)
It always puts me out cold after about 5-6 shots.

It seems to give me hell of a rebound in the morning. I usually have what I call adventure dreams in the morning hours before waking. Many dreams strung together while keeping memory of each previous dream.

oh sick, i have tons of bananas and cherries!

So technically, I should eat breakfast before going to sleep?