Can’t nod off? Eating these foods should help you get a better night’s sleep

Those who suffer from sleeping difficulties will be all-too-familiar with the nightmare scenario that comes with battling insomnia, which affects one in three people: one simply lies awake hour after hour, willing, pleading sleep to come and give your tired body and mind respite from the day before. But these frustrated demands are often ignored, and overtiredness kicks in as your worries swirl around your head; eyes frequently watching the angry, flashing light of your clock.

Insomnia is a common problem that takes a toll on your energy, mood, health, and ability to function during the day. We all know we need an eight-hour stretch each night but this, ironically, is a dream scenario. If the problem becomes chronic, the best thing to do first is to seek the advice of your GP, but simple lifestyle changes, such as what foods you consume hours before you hit the hay can make a big difference.

Sleep expert Sammy Margo, author of The Good Sleep Guide explained that certain foods have the power to help us sleep better while eating the wrong ones, can be detrimental to our cycle. This is especially important for women, who are known to get less sleep than men.

To help us fight the battle, Margo has identified foods that we should be eating before bed to get the best night’s sleep we possibly can.

Bananas

Bananas are rich in magnesium, a muscle relaxant, as well as sleep-promoting hormones serotonin and melatonin, so these are an ideal pre-bedtime snack.

Almonds

Honey

One spoonful of honey contains glucose, good for stimulating the release of melatonin and shutting off orexin, the chemical known to trigger alertness.

Turkey

Turkey too, helps you feel sleepy and that’s because of its high levels of the snooze-inducing tryptophan. Those dreaded food comas? There’s a reason they hit you without fail after a big feed.

This article was originally published in January 2022.