Lauren B. Wallace writes health articles about fitness and nutrition.
Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies for antidepressants,
diet pills, and hoodia gordonii.
It is very important to get an adequate amount of sleep each night. When we are well rested we can focus better on our daily tasks. However, good quality sleep does not always come easily to everyone. Some people have to rely upon sleep aids in order to feel rested in the morning. For those of us who struggle with sleep, there are certain foods we can consume in order to improve our nighttime snooze fest.
One of the most well known of these foods is milk. Milk is great at getting us into the oozy mood because it contains a chemical known as tryptophan. This particular chemical is one of the well known sleep promoting substances. Some other foods which contain tryptophan include poultry, bananas, oats and honey. So if you are having difficulty sleeping, make yourself a glass of warm milk with honey and wait for the tryptophan to work its way through your body. Other natural sleep aids come in the form of carbohydrate-rich foods. Carb rich foods complement dairy foods by increasing the level of sleep inducing tryptophan in the blood. Some great nighttime snack choices include a bowl of cereal with milk, yogurt with crackers, or bread with cheese.
Some foods you should avoid at all cost during the evening hours include: heavy foods, spicy foods, foods that are high in fat, foods with hidden caffeine (such as hot chocolate, decaf coffee, and tea), foods that are naturally heavy, alcoholic beverages, and protein. Heavy food has a way of making us feel uncomfortable; whereas, spicy food is often responsible for heart burn. Protein on the other hand is hard to digest and it contains an amino acid known as tyrosine which promotes brain activity. Therefore, if you ever had trouble sleeping, make sure that these foods are not on your dinner menu.
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