BetterButter Benefits | 7 Foods That Help You Sleep

Deviyani Srivastava | March 17, 2016

By Deviyani Srivastava

Ever woken up feeling tired? You know, as if you’ve run all night to catch up with that bus? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably not sleeping that well. Whether you’re ODing on caffeine or just not getting enough exercise, we’ve got a solution to make sure you get the much needed shut-eye.

BetterButter chalks out the different kinds of things to eat that could help you catch the required zzzs to wake up fresh each morning. Read on.

Bananas

High in magnesium and potassium, banana is the ideal go-to snack. Loaded on carbohydrates, it’s the vitamin B6 which converts tryptophan into serotonin, lulling you into a relaxed state.

Cherries

Containing natural melatonin, the sleep controlling hormone that helps you maintain your sleep cycle, cherries are greatly effective in smaller doses.

Milk

As controversial as it may seem, drinking a cup of milk is what grandmothers recommend. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to the brain chemical serotonin. Although some might believe that drinking milk before going to bed basically triggers your soothing childhood memories which is why it works.

Fortified Cereal

Carbs in general are good for sleep but complex carbs are even better. Eating easily digestible carb a few hours before sleep, help you doze off sooner, other complex carbs such as quinoa, barley and buckwheat are equally effective.

Sweet potatoes

Like bananas, they are also full of the sleep-promoting complex carbohydrates and also contain that muscle-relaxant potassium. Other good sources of potassium include regular potatoes (baked and keep the skin on), lima beans, and papaya.

Boiled Rice

High in carbohydrate, this food is also blamed for making one drowsy post lunch. Rice has a high glycemic index which may improve tryptophan and melatonin production thus inducing sleep.

Herbal tea with honey