If you’re getting enough hours in bed but are still feeling restless, it might help if you eat some sleep-inducing foods before you hit the hay. 5 Top Snacks to Help You Sleep Deep explains that an hour before you go to sleep you should eat foods that include slow release carbohydrates, protein and magnesium.
The carbohydrates will help keep your body full during the night (no one wants to go to bed starving!) protein boosts the calming chemical (serotonin) in your body and magnesium helps to relax muscles by combating stress. If you need some snack ideas try the following that contain some or all of these foods.
1. Porridge with almond butter
Oats are low on the glycemic index which means they release sugar into your blood slower than white carbohydrates like white rice and white bread.
Oats will sustain your body through the night and are also like a comforting hug in a bowl, perfect before bedtime! Almonds like most other nuts, are rich in magnesium as well as protein so this is the best all-rounder to help your slumber.
2. Greek yogurt with fruit
Not talking about the cheap natural yogurt you can buy here! The best yogurt is the real Greek yogurt, like Total, because it’s packed full of protein and will keep you full for hours.
Add magnesium-rich banana and assorted dried fruit and you have a sweet delicious snack that will also help relax you. It’s a sure fire win-win!
3. Wholemeal toast with peanut butter
Wholemeal bread is not only high in magnesium (a mineral that a lot of us are deficient in) it’s also a slow release carbohydrate too.
For die-hard peanut butter fans, this is the one for you as you can slather your toast in that scrumptious nut butter for extra protein plus you can even add sliced banana on top, yum!
4. Wholegrain cereal
Fancy breakfast for supper? You definitely can! Wholegrains won’t spike your blood sugar levels so you’ll feel satisfied for longer after eating.
Choose the milk you prefer as it doesn’t particularly make a difference whether you have full fat or low fat. Dairy milk will help to calm you down by releasing serotonin into your body. Rice milk, coconut milk and almond milk won’t have the same effect but they have their own abundance of vitamins so they’re a great alternative.
5. Brown rice with vegetables
If you’re more of a savoury person then try having a small portion of brown rice an hour before bedtime. It’s high in magnesium and so are green vegetables.
Stir fry the rice with some broccoli, green peppers and spinach for a stress-busting snack! You can add some chicken or tofu if you want some protein for the calming effect but it may well be too filling so don’t be afraid to omit it.
There’s no doubt that these foods will help your body prepare for a good night’s sleep but it’s important to manage your overall stress levels so that you don’t wake up feeling tired and restless.
Try taking 10 minutes out in your day to relax and calm your mind. Check out our recent articles on mindfulness and 5 key ways to attain it. Stress, work and adrenaline all affect your sleep so it’s really worth looking after yourself. Meanwhile, have fun rustling up one of these quick tasty snacks and let us know which one’s your favourite!
