5 Foods That Help You Sleep

You need sleep as much as you need to breathe and eat. While you’re sleeping, your body is busy tending to your physical and mental health and getting you ready for another day. When you have issues falling asleep, your brain can’t function properly and it goes on to affect your cognitive abilities and emotional state. If it continues long enough, it can lower your body’s defences, putting you at risk of developing chronic illness. The obvious signs of sleep deprivation are excessive sleepiness, yawning, and irritability. Yoghurt The calcium in yoghurt and other dairy products will help rid your body of stress, which will help you fall asleep easily and avoid the wandering mind when trying to get to sleep. Grapefruit It contains lycopene, an antioxidant in the body that has been shown to improve the way you sleep, and lycopene has also been shown to help ward off heart disease and cancer and has anti-ageing benefits.

Bananas Bananas are known sources of potassium. Like magnesium, potassium helps the muscles to relax. In addition to being rich in potassium, bananas also offer a good supply of Vitamin B6 and magnesium.

Honey

The natural sugar present in honey increases the level of insulin slightly which helps the release of tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is the compound that helps in promoting sleep. Therefore, consuming a spoonful of honey before going to bed or adding it to a cup of herbal tea can help in improving the quality of sleep.

Lean proteins

Lean proteins include chicken, turkey and fish. These foods are high in the amino acid tryptophan, which tends to increase serotonin levels. Try to avoid chicken wings or deep-fried fish. These take longer to digest and can keep you awake.