Food for Bedtime

I periodically get informational emails from my insurance company. I used to delete them without even looking at the subject matter, but recently they've been sending some pretty interesting info. (Note: my interest level is much different from many people...just letting my freak flag fly!) Last night I got one on foods to eat before bed time, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Quick Bites: Eat Right to Help You Go Night-Night

Three out of five Americans have trouble sleeping on a regular basis. And most everyone has a night here or there where they can’t fall asleep. Does a hungry belly ever keep you up? Are you the thing that goes bump in the night as you rummage around in your refrigerator?

You want a snack, but not one that will keep you up. Are there foods that can help you sleep better?

Many people know the basics of what not to do, like avoiding large meals, caffeine and alcohol within a few hours of bedtime. But research shows that high-fat snacks such as french fries, potato chips and mozzarella sticks may also interrupt sleep cycles. Bacon, pepperoni and sausage contain high levels of tyramine, which may also keep you up.

Consider trying these foods for nighttime snacking:

1. Cherries: This fruit is one of the few natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body’s internal clock to regulate sleep. Melatonin helps maintain your daily body rhythms and is an important antioxidant in the body known to fight cancer. If you can, find Montmorency cherries, a type of sour cherry. They have nearly six times more melatonin than a regular cherry.
2. Bananas: Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both.
3. Scottish or Irish Oatmeal: A complex carbohydrate, oatmeal triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals. Oats are also rich in vitamin B6, an anti-stress vitamin, and melatonin. You might think of oatmeal as just a breakfast food, but it’s also a smart choice for a bedtime snack.
4. Edamame: Boiled edamame (soybeans in the pod) is high in magnesium, which has been shown in some studies to improve the quality of sleep.
5. Popcorn with Parmesan Cheese: This easy snack provides a tasty combo of carbohydrates and dairy. Dairy has tryptophan in it, which may help you sleep. And the carbohydrates in the popcorn help your brain absorb tryptophan better.

Be sure to keep your late-night snacking light and eat only when hungry. Not only do calories add up, but many experts believe that not getting enough sleep causes changes in the body that affect our ability to regulate our appetite. So a combination of the wrong kind of nighttime snacking and not enough sleep could result in weight gain.

I had no idea cherries had melatonin in them! I thought that was very interesting. I love learning ways to listen to and work with our bodies for better health. I've never appreciated sleep like I do now, I have no clue how I will ever have another baby again in the future! (Not an announcement.)