Foods that help you sleep

A warm glass of milk has long been attributed to helping you fall asleep. While milk does contain traces of tryptophan this may not be the reason it seems to send you off to the land of nod. Anecdotally tryptophan is linked with inducing sleep but in terms of hard evidence, the jury is still out. It may aid the first phase of sleep – but it can work against you during the deeper phases of sleep. If warm milk does help you sleep, it is perhaps because of the comfort, pleasure and reassurance that a nightly ritual can provide, which is reason enough – if it works for you. Herbal teas may produce a similar effect.

Complex carbohydrates can cause a sustained, gradual rise in the levels of serotonin – a sleep regulating neurotransmitter. In turn serotonin is converted into melatonin – a sleep-promoting hormone. So a healthy snack such as oatmeal, an hour or two before bed, can aid sleep.

Really, no foods or drink can specifically help you sleep – it is rather a case of what to avoid before bed, combined with other lifestyle factors.

Avoid Alcohol; passing out is not falling asleep. A glass of wine with dinner is fine, as it will have metabolised before you go to bed. If you are metabolising alcohol while you are sleeping this can reduce your sleep quality and potentially cause you to wake later in the night.

Caffeine is a stimulant; winding you up at night, when you need to wind down. Ironically, if you are a big coffee drinker you may feel fatigued given the havoc coffee can play on your adrenal system but it wont help you sleep. Depending on your metabolism caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten hours after drinking it. So, if you can’t give up or don’t like decaf maybe try limiting yourself to having your coffee in the morning.

Avoid eating or drinking too much, too fast or too late. Sleep will be compromised by indigestion, heartburn, physical discomfort or trips to the bathroom. For similar reasons excessively spicy foods just before bed should be avoided.

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