Sleep is an important part of our life. Healthy, continuous daily sleep is essential to our good health and well-being. It promotes both psychological and physical health. It gives our body enough time to rest, recover and refresh. When we sleep seven to eight hours a day at night, it helps us maintain a healthy weight. We get sick less. Getting enough sleep reduces the risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. It relieves us of stress and improves our mood, concentration and alertness. Lately, due to our hectic work schedule and busy life, we often suffer from poor sleep. Insufficient sleep not only affects our mood, but also affects our motor skills, work performance and immune system. So, it is important to get enough sleep daily and be aware of it. To this end, the World Sleep Society celebrates World Sleep Day on the third Friday of March every year since 2008. The goal of the global initiative is to raise awareness about the importance of getting enough sleep, shed light on a variety of sleep-related problems, and help people with serious sleep problems find relief.
This year, 2023, World Sleep Day will be celebrated on the 17thth March 2023. Topic: World Sleep Day 2023 is “Sleep is important for health“. It focuses on the importance of sleep in maintaining good health. It encourages good sleep habits to avoid or solve a variety of sleep-related problems. What you eat and drink also affects the quality of your sleep. Today, several people in the world suffer from insomnia. If you’re looking for natural, gentle, and safe ways to improve your sleep, dietary changes can help. Adding certain nutritious foods to your diet and eliminating foods that disrupt your restful sleep can help you improve your sleep, immunity, and overall health. So you might be wondering which foods can help you improve your sleep and fight insomnia, right? Keep reading this blog to know all about it.
Top 10 Nutritious Foods to Improve Your Sleep
Here is a list of healthy foods to help you sleep better and overcome insomnia.
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Kiwi
Kiwifruit is a small, oval-shaped fruit that provides you with a healthy dose of nutrients. It contains several vitamins, especially vitamin E and C, and minerals such as potassium and folic acid. Eating a few fresh kiwis an hour before bed will help you fall asleep faster, sleep better, and sleep more than usual. Kiwi’s high serotonin content, folic acid content, and antioxidant properties are believed to be responsible for improving your sleep. So, drink a few kiwis an hour before going to bed.
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Pistachio
One of the most popular nuts is the pistachio. They are rich in vitamin B6, magnesium and protein, so consuming them helps you sleep better. In addition, pistachios are rich in melatonin, which helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. So make sure you have some crunchy pistachios before bed.
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Banana
Bananas’ high magnesium content makes them a nutritious food for enjoying deep, restful sleep. In addition, bananas also contain tryptophan, an important amino acid that plays a role in the production of melatonin and serotonin. thereby promoting sleep. So, eating fresh bananas helps you sleep well at night. Bananas are also rich in the mineral potassium, which plays a role in relaxing nerves and muscles.
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Dark chocolate
Everyone loves to eat dark chocolate and it is a healthy alternative to sugary snacks. Moreover, it also encourages quality sleep. The magnesium content in dark chocolate has been found to be associated with circadian rhythms, which are important for a night’s sleep. Dark chocolate is also a good source of flavanols and tryptophan, both of which help you fall asleep sooner and stay asleep longer. So, eat dark chocolate to sleep peacefully.
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Spinach
Leafy greens are nutritious and provide many health benefits. Spinach is one of them, which is rich in magnesium and calcium. Both of these minerals play a crucial role in promoting proper sleep cycles. Magnesium helps to relax, release tension from nerves and sleep. Calcium plays a major role in promoting REM sleep. So, include fresh spinach in your diet for quality sleep.
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Tart cherry
These cherries have a distinct flavor and are also known as sour cherries. Nutritious cherries provide sleep benefits. If you drink a few glasses of cherry juice a day, you may experience a longer overall sleep duration and more sleep efficiency. This is because these nutrient-dense cherries have higher than average concentrations of melatonin. As you know, the hormone melatonin promotes healthy sleep and regulates the circadian rhythm. Also, the antioxidant effect of cherries promotes sleep.
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Oily fish
Oily fish is a healthy food for improving sleep. It provides you with rich doses of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. These nutrients play an active role in regulating serotonin in your body, thereby controlling your sleep-wake cycle. So, include fatty fish like salmon in your regular diet. Eating salmon three times a week has been found to help improve your overall sleep. It also helps improve your daytime performance.
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Milk and cheese
Rich in tryptophan, cheese is another healthy food for improving sleep and overcoming insomnia. Plus, it’s a powerful source of protein. The high calcium content in milk, cheese, and other dairy products allows tryptophan to work effectively to induce sleep and improve sleep quality. Drinking milk boosts your serotonin, promotes relaxation, and helps you fall asleep faster.
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Chamomile tea
Regular consumption of this herbal tea helps to minimize your anxiety and depression which are the main causes of sleep disorders. It contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to receptors in your brain that promote sleep. So, chamomile tea is a natural solution to insomnia. Its mild sedative effect induces sleep, improves sleep quality and helps you feel rested and refreshed upon awakening. So you can drink this herbal tea before going to bed.
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Raw honey
If you’re one of those people whose sweet tooth gets stronger before bed, drink raw honey with fruit or toast. Honey promotes the release of melatonin, which your body uses to rejuvenate itself during sleep. Honey sugar increases your insulin levels and promotes the release of tryptophan, which helps you sleep better. Also, the glucose in raw honey reverses orexin levels, which eases the brain’s alertness level without increasing energy unlike artificial sugars. So, raw honey is a healthy option to enjoy a healthy sleep.
So let’s pledge to get adequate, quality sleep by savoring these healthy foods and let’s spread the word about the importance of sleep for better health this World Sleep Day. Consultation with certified dietitians and nutritionists can help you get a customized diet plan to improve sleep. Our Insomnia Diet not only helps you enjoy sound sleep, but also addresses nutritional deficiencies, manages your weight, boosts your immunity, and helps prevent potential health risks. So don’t hesitate, contact us at Health Total and sleep easy with our personalized diet plan to improve sleep.
Sign up for a FREE consultation with the experts at Health Total for more tips on how to improve your sleep with the right nutritional supplements or manage any other health condition. Call toll-free at 1-800-843-0206 and schedule an appointment.