Foods for A Good Night’s Sleep

May 4, 2010

Foods for Restful Sleep

Ever get super sleepy after a thanksgiving dinner? That probably because for reason one you might have over indulged. Reason number two is turkey meat along with good amount of carbohydrates from potatoes, dinner rolls is a good food combination to induce sleep. Turkey meat is a good source of amino acid tryptophan which makes it one of the best foods for sleep. Tryptophan is necessary for the production of serotonin and melatonin the sleep chemicals in the brain. They help calm you down by slowing down the brain nerve traffic to let you sleep.

These foods are good sleep inducers since they are good sources for the amino acid tryptophan.

  • Dairy products: cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, milk, yogurt
  • Nuts – hazelnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybean nuts, sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds
  • Potato with skin, banana
  • Protein foods – turkey, chicken, eggs, fish
  • Seafood – tuna, shellfish
  • Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
  • Whole grains, kelp, rice

There are bedtime snacks that can help you sleep. These are high in carbohydrates, calcium and medium to low source of protein.

  • Apple pie and ice cream
  • High fiber cookies such oatmeal &raisins cookies, and milk
  • Peanut butter sandwich
  • Tofu with chopped nuts
  • Whole-grain cereal with low fat milk

Eating tips for restful sleep

  • You’ll sleep better with light meals that are not too spicy. High fat and large meals take longer to digest and not conducive to restful sleep.
  • Don’t eat too close to bedtime. Snack instead if you must eat late at night. When you eat just before bed time instead of your metabolic rate slowing down for the night it speeds up. This can lead to unrestful sleep.
  • Avoid eating foods that give you heart burn (gastro esophageal reflux) such as highly seasoned foods, high acid foods like citrus fruits and juices. Also, don’t over load on gas forming foods such as beans, cabbage, and broccoli at dinner time.

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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

subliminal turkey November 25, 2010 at 11:20 am

Ok,there is tryptophan in turkey, but there’s actually more in chicken and some other foods. It’s not the chemical that makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner, it’s all the extra energy you use digesting a huge meal.One belief is that heavy consumption of turkey meat (as for example in a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast) results in drowsiness, which has been attributed to high levels of tryptophan contained in turkey.While turkey does contain high levels of tryptophan, the amount is comparable to that contained in most other meats.Furthermore, postprandial Thanksgiving sedation may have more to do with what is consumed along with the turkey, in particular carbohydrates and alcohol, rather than the turkey itself. I hope this helps everyone who is falling asleep on Thanksgiving while watching the parade!!

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