Curing Insomnia With Food

 Few things are as frustrating as not being able to fall asleep at night. Whether you suffer from chronic insomnia or just have an occasional sleepless night, not getting enough sleep at night takes a serious toll on your body. There are many prescription medicines designed to help you fall asleep, but they have serious side effects and can be very addictive. Luckily, you can naturally combat insomnia with the help of many great foods. Here are some suggestions for curing insomnia with food.

Bananas

Bananas can help you go to sleep at night thanks to the magnesium they contain, which works as a natural muscle relaxant. They also are a good source of other relaxing nutrients like melatonin and serotonin, and are easy to digest so as to not upset your stomach before bed.

Cherries

Tasty cherries are a great source of melatonin, which is a substance your body uses to help regulate your sleep. Snacking on cherries before bed is a great way to make sure you'll be able to drift off easily. Both regular cherries and dried cherries should work well.

Lentils

Lentils are an excellent source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid that helps your body to regulate sleep. Try eating a relaxing lentil soup for dinner to get yourself ready to fall asleep by the time you head off to bed. Other tryptophan rich foods include spinach and broccoli.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is marketed for bedtime use for a reason! It works as a natural sedative on your body. To make it extra potent, try sweetening your tea with honey. Because honey contains glucose, consuming a small amount of it will signal your brain to turn off orexin for the night.

Hazelnuts

Enjoying a carbohydrate-rich snack like hazelnuts will help to make serotonin and melatonin more available to your brain. The best way to take advantage of this is to eat it alongside other foods on this list. Be careful not to munch on just any high-carb food- many of them contain substances that make your body more alert.

Potatoes

Try making potatoes part of your last meal of the day. They'll help to flush out acids in your body that interfere with tryptophan. If you enjoy your potatoes mashed, mixing in a small amount of warm milk will also naturally work to help your body fall asleep.

Brown Rice

Not only is brown rice incredibly easy to digest- it's also an amazing source of melatonin. The more melatonin your body produces, the easier falling asleep can be. Try pairing up your rice with a tryptophan rich vegetable like broccoli to make it super effective.

Avocado

A small portion of a food that's full of healthy fats like avocado is a perfect way to prepare your body for relaxing at night. Be sure not to eat too much- just a few slices is more than enough. Avocado also contains many nutrients like folate and copper.