At times, wanting to fall asleep doesn’t come around that easy, even if you’re completely exhausted. The reason for this is because your body and brain are still on high alert, active and aware for whatever reason, which delays the sleep you deserve.
If you’re uncomfortable taking those prescription sleep aids to knock you out, and are looking for a much natural alternate to help you get some needed sleep, there are solutions.
The best natural method and relief, is to simply change and improve what you eat for dinner and onward.
This by eliminating those known foods which are proven to keep you awake at night. The solution is just snacking on healthier foods.
Eliminate The Culprit Foods To Get Needed Sleep
It becomes easy to crave those foods and beverages which you love by habit, such as that double shot of cappuccino, or that creme filled doughnut for dessert.
Or you munch on these favorites, especially during those dreaded late afternoon lulls. You do so to get an energy boost that gets you through the rest of the day.
What you’re doing, however, is setting the table for yet another night of twisting and turning, and missing out on some sound sleep.
What these foods, which contain added sugar combined with caffeine does to your system, is they override your natural biorhythms.
So doing so can be effective if you need to pull that all-nighter at work, but if not, you will be hindering your sleep.
Stop Those Delicious Vices
If there happens to be caffeine in your system, the amount of time for it to leave your body depends on your body composition.
For some, it can take up to 24 hours for it to clear out, and because of that, most recommend coffee or tea consumption should be reserved for the morning.
There are others however who can sip an espresso after dinner and still get their full dose of peaceful sleep at night.
So it’s really dependent on the individual, and how your liver is able to handle the caffeine.
Once you consume a few sweet after dinner desserts which contain plenty of sugar, the subsequent crash isn’t the best way to get sleep either.
What sugar does is it will temporarily make you feel a lot more awake, and then suddenly you’ll crash and burn shortly after. Just witness the behavior of your kids.
Then, as a result, what usually compounds the issue is you’ll most likely wake up periodically during the night from hypoglycemia.
Eating Foods Which Can Put You To Sleep
There are actually select natural foods which are conducive towards a peaceful sound slumber.
Once you begin including more of these foods into your diet, especially later on in the day, the result is better sleep.
1.) – The Truth About Turkey
It’s true when they say that turkey makes you dozy.
This because it’s rich with an amino acid known as tryptophan, which helps in promoting a peaceful, deep restful sleep without known side effects.
It’s not the tryptophan itself however, that makes you drowsy.
What it does is promotes the brain to produce two key chemicals, the first being serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter which induces relaxation, and the other is melatonin which is a neurohormone.
Melatonin has also recently become popular as a natural supplement, for promoting better sleep.
2.) – Drinking Warm Milk Is No Wives Tale
Your mom and your grandmother was right. Mothers have been giving their kids warm milk to put them to sleep for a very good reason.
Warm milk is another excellent source of tryptophan, which soothes as well as makes your body relax, and your mind become tired.
But there is a warning issued by health experts, as well as from moms.
The double dosage combination of warm milk and turkey, thinking that you can knock yourself out quicker, is not recommended.
The reason being that it can produce unwanted gas, similar to eating too many beans.
3.) – More Mashed Potatoes Please
Despite the spud being ranked low because of the low-carb movement, the mighty potato happens to rank low on the Glycemic Index.
This is a ranking of carbohydrates and how they effect your blood glucose levels.
Potatoes, along with sweet potatoes are root vegetables which won’t usually spike up your blood sugar levels that high. It can at times even eliminate unwanted acids which attempts to block tryptophan.
So eating mashed potatoes mixed with milk, or buttermilk, can be a healthy meal which promotes sleep.
4.) -The One And Only Oatmeal
Not only does oatmeal warm up and fill your stomach, it’s also full of healthy fiber.
As a result, it can make you feel satisfied before going to sleep. Eating a steamy bowl of oats is also an excellent source of melatonin.
So try it as an after dinner snack, or right before going to bed.
Fill your bowl with cooked oatmeal and nice warm milk, for an extra peaceful snooze session.
5.) – Bananas Are For ZZZZs
Did you know that bananas are an excellent natural sleeping aid, as they contain both melatonin and tryptophan, which eventually converts into serotonin.
These are the much needed natural compounds to help you fall asleep quicker.
Melatonin is a hormone that’s found in the brain, which signals that it’s time for the body to shut itself down and go to sleep for the night.
An additional bonus is that this delicious monkey food also contains doses of natural magnesium, which is a muscle relaxant that helps in easing away physical tension as well as stress.
Supplements Which Helps You Sleep
If all of these natural sleep-aid foods fail, then there are natural mineral based supplements which can help you sleep.
All without the potential negative side effects, of those doctor prescribed sleeping aids.
The following are the recommended natural supplements which you should be taking to fall asleep:
• 500mg to 800mg of Calcium
• 400mg of Magnesium
• 2000mg of Inositol
Another option is taking a nice soothing bath with Epsom salt right before going to bed. Epsom salt is an excellent source of magnesium, which gets absorbed directly into the skin.
So add up to 2 cups of Epsom salt into a warm bath and then soak away.
And To All A Good Night
Try changing your diet, especially during the afternoon and evening hours, while taking the recommended supplements, and soaking in an Epsom salt bath.
These are proven natural methods of getting the proper uninterrupted sleep that you desperately need.