Sleep is vital for living beings. This activity can make you have a better mood, lose more body fat, gain more muscle mass, that you are less prone to diseases or that you have a correct brain development, among other things.
Here is a list of foods that can help you sleep better.
Blue Fish
Oily fish includes species such as salmon, mackerel, trout or tuna. Its high content in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D, has the ability to improve the quality of your dreams.
In fact, if you ate these fish for dinner, you could fall asleep up to 10 minutes earlier than if you ate chicken, beef or pork for dinner. Although you can get more vitamin D in sunlight, high levels of vitamin D have been associated with a significant improvement in the quality of sleep, so if you ate fatty fish, you could achieve a much deeper and restful sleep.
Walnuts
Walnuts have been seen to improve the quality of sleep, as they are one of the best food sources of melatonin, which is a hormone that regulates sleep.
Walnuts also contain omega 3 fatty acids, which can increase the production of serotonin, which is a molecule that, among other functions, induces sleep.
Almonds
On the other hand, almonds are very rich in magnesium, a micronutrient that can help you improve the quality of sleep, especially if you suffer from insomnia.
What’s more, can cause a drop in levels of cortisol, a hormone that can interrupt and make it difficult to sleep.
Bananas
Bananas are a good food to sleep better as they contain magnesium and tryptophan, which are two nutrients that can help you fall asleep and recover better while you sleep, even at low doses.
Milk
Another source of tryptophan is milk, which has been seen to improve the quality of sleep, especially in older people.. This is because tryptophan is a precursor to melatonin.
Kiwi
It is one of the best foods that exist to sleep better.
In a 4-week study, 24 subjects ate two kiwis before going to bed each night. At the end of the study, it was found that those who did this fell asleep 42% faster than those who did not. In addition, total sleep increased by 13% and the chances of sleeping through the night without waking up increased by 5%.
Therefore, including it is a very good idea. These effects on sleep are due to its content in serotonin, which helps regulate the sleep cycle and antioxidants such as vitamin C or carotenoids that it contains, which can help reduce inflammation
Chamomile
This herb is taken in the form of an infusion and has specifically an antioxidant called apigenin, which binds to certain receptors in the brain that induces sleep and reduce insomnia.
It has been seen that after consumption, the number of times people wake up is reduced and the quality of sleep improves. In addition, its consumption reduces certain depressive symptoms, reducing problems related to sleep.
In Vitónica | Seven tips to get a good night’s sleep
In Vitónica | Natural or packaged herbal teas, which is healthier?
Images | iStock