The Ultimate Top 4 Foods That Can Help You Sleep
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| Top 4 Sleep-Promoting Foods |
Preface
Getting enough sleep is
crucial for one’s well-being.
While you’re sleeping,
your body is doing some essential maintenance, like repairing wounds &
damaged tissues and restoring memory & cognitive function as well as the
immune system.
If you get enough sleep at
night, you wake up feeling more refreshed with better recovery from previous
day’s physical and mental stresses, more focused with a fully functional brain,
and with a stronger and more organized body’s internal defense network to protect
the body’s critical organs and cells from harmful viruses and diseases.
People are recommended to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night according to National Institutes of Health.
Unfortunately, many people
find it hard to fall asleep in the bed. Some people report midnight awakenings,
which can adversely affect the quality of sleep, especially for those who have
trouble sleeping even when trying to sleep at bedtime. Such people are
generally suffering from a medical condition called insomnia.
If you can relate to this
problem, I have some good news for you. If sleeping is challenging for you, it
is possible to resolve this issue and get quality sleep every night with very
simple changes in your diet. Many studies conducted on this topic have reached
the same conclusion.
After a thorough research,
I’ve come up with the best four foods that promote the sleep your body is
impatiently waiting for.
Before discussing those
magical foods, let’s explore the primary substance that is essential for sleep.
All these sleep-promoting foods have a relatively significant amount of this
substance. This primary substance, also called sleep hormone, is melatonin.
The Main Substance for Sleep
During daytime when you’re
active and exposed to lights, especially sunlight, and tons of noises from
humans and other living organisms, the sleep hormone or melatonin is at its
lowest level in the body.
The production of this
melatonin increases as it gets dark and quiet in the evening. Consequently, you
start feeling sleepy.
The production of this
substance in the body follows a 24-hour cycle, similar to the natural day-night
cycle.
For 12 hours after waking
up in the morning, there is very little melatonin in the body. After this time,
there's a surge in the production of melatonin, which initiates the processes
related to sleep.
The key takeaway is that to
get enough sleep, there must be enough melatonin in the body at night.
If your body is not
producing enough of this essential substance, sleeping will remain difficult,
if not impossible, for you.
While many treatment
options are available to restore melatonin formation in the body, it’s always
best to look for home treatments in such conditions.
Fortunately, there are
food sources of this substance. Some foods contain a decent amount of this
substance. If these foods are eaten as dinner, you may find a very healthy and
cost-effective solution to your sleep-related issues.
The effectiveness of many
of these foods in the treatment of lack of sleep is not just theoretical but
backed by many practical experiments conducted by researchers in this field.
Top Sleep-Promoting Foods
Whole Foods
A 2020 study conducted at Federal University of Maranhao in Brazil by Sousa, Raissa da Silva, et al. showed that consumption of whole foods contributes to enhanced sleep quality, while processed foods can lead to sleep problems.
This study involved 18-19
year old adolescents.
A later meta-analysis conducted by Delpino, Felipe Mendes, et al. in 2023 showed similar results for people of all ages.
Therefore, one can
conclude that whole foods promote good sleep.
Whole foods are foods that
are not processed and eaten in their original form, like brown rice,
whole-wheat flour, fresh fruits/vegetables, and fresh meat.
Cutting and grinding as
well as simple cooking with natural spices and little oil doesn’t make these
foods processed.
Some whole foods must be
cooked before consumption, like wheat, rice, meat, and potatoes.
Similarly, mince, which is
ground meat, is also considered whole food and not processed in this context.
Taking the thick outer
skin off fruits like orange, melon, and banana as well as eggs also doesn’t
classify these foods as processed.
The reason for the positive
role of whole foods in promoting better sleep is that whole foods possess an
elevated level of melatonin.
For example, brown rice has more melatonin than refined rice, as bran is removed in the process of refining, which is a source of melatonin.
Red meat, chicken meat, and fish also contain melatonin, and the melatonin content in these foods is in the same range as that of various other foods. Processed meat should be avoided, as it has been categorized as carcinogenic by WHO.
Milk
Milk is a well-known
sleep-promoting drink. As far as I know, warm milk is the most universal
pre-sleep food popular in all major cultures worldwide.
Many people regularly
drink warm milk before their bedtime and report better sleep afterwards. And
there is some truth to this claim.
Milk naturally contains
melatonin, which is the primary hormone that regulates sleep. Milk which is
produced by cows during nighttime contains more melatonin than daytime’s, as
melatonin secretion is higher at night in all vertebrates that sleep in
darkness.
Additionally, milk is a good source of vitamin B-12, which is known to increase the secretion of melatonin.
Milk contains a significant amount of calcium, a mineral that research indicates can alleviate insomnia symptoms and promote improved sleep quality.
Therefore, if you are
comfortable with milk and regularly drink it, consider having a cup before
bedtime to expedite the process of falling asleep and extend your overall sleep
duration.
Egg
If your breakfast plate is
usually empty of eggs, consider incorporating this superfood into your morning
meal.
Besides being a very
delicious and nutritious addition to your morning plate, eggs play a positive
role in promoting high-quality sleep.
The main reason why eggs are so much beneficial for good sleep is that eggs not just contain melatonin. In fact, eggs contain more melatonin than red meat.
Furthermore, egg is a
major food source of tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid which is the
biochemical precursor for melatonin in the body.
Therefore, eggs not only
provide our body with melatonin but also tryptophan which further accelerates
the secretion of this crucial hormone for sleep in the body.
Egg white has the highest
amount of tryptophan than any other food item.
Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit has been linked
with better sleep in multiple studies.
For example, in a study conducted by Lin, Hsiao-Han, et al., 24 adults were experimented to evaluate the effect of kiwifruit consumption on the total duration of sleep and sleep efficiency. They consumed 2 kiwifruits 1 hour prior to bedtime everyday for four weeks. Researchers found that the total sleep duration and sleep efficiency increased 13% and 5% respectively.
The reason for this effect
of kiwifruits on sleep quality is that kiwifruits contain melatonin.
In addition to that, kiwifruits also contain vitamin B9. The deficiency of vitamin B9 has been recognized as a contributing factor to insomnia. Therefore, eating kiwifruits regularly can help in improving vitamin B9 levels in the body, which can in return lead to more restful nights.
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