The Best Food and Drinks for Good Sleep

by Arootah | Feb 18, 2022 | Body | 0 comments

Getting a good night’s rest can be tricky. You may not realize that what you eat and drink can massively impact the quality of sleep you’re getting.

High-quality sleep is absolutely necessary to function at our best. We need sleep to have energy, support our immune system, optimize brain function, and recover properly from injury or illness.

If you’re not prioritizing sleep, you’re putting yourself at risk of developing mental and physical health problems. Sleep deprivation is so dangerous, that you often don’t realize the damaging effects until months later. Among the worst effects of sleep deprivation are decreased memory, increased risk of heart attacks or strokes, obesity, and infertility.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to support having a good night’s sleep. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t be eating and drinking for optimal sleep.

READ: The Worst Long Term Effects Of Sleep Deprivation

Food and drinks to avoid

First and foremost, you may want to take a look at some food and beverages you should avoid for a good night’s sleep. Take a look at the reasons why you should cut back on these foods and beverages. Some of them may surprise you.

Alcohol: Even though alcohol is notorious for making people feel drowsy, it’s not a good idea to keep that glass of wine in your nighttime routine every evening. Though it makes you feel drowsy, alcohol disrupts sleep patterns. So even though you feel sleepy after a drink or two, the alcohol can lower your quality of sleep. You may feel even more tired the next day due to not getting quality sleep the night before.

Fatty foods: Though some fatty foods like avocados, yogurt, and butter can have healthy fats in them, you may want to avoid excessively fatty foods before bed. Foods like chips, french fries, or other fast food are also fatty but are likely high in sodium as well. This combination means the body takes a long time to digest the fat but is also dehydrated due to the sodium. Your sleep could suffer because of bloating and indigestion.

Caffeinated beverages: It’s still worth saying that you shouldn’t be ingesting caffeine several hours before you go to bed. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can keep you up well past your bedtime. Though coffee is usually the preferred source of caffeine, some unexpected sources of caffeine you should avoid are green tea, matcha, and even chocolate.

Additionally, you may want to avoid sugar and larger portions of any food. Excessive sugar before bed can spike your blood sugar and lead to a restless sleep. Sugar can also create more inflammation in the body, which makes it hard to relax or fall asleep. Large portion sizes of whatever food you choose to consume may also be a bad idea. Your body will have difficulty digesting large amounts of food while trying to rest at the same time.

READ: The Worst Effects of Dehydration

Food for good sleep

You should be conscious of what you’re eating for dinner, as well as any late-night snacks you have. Here are a couple of go-to foods that will assist in a good night’s sleep.

Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashews have often been considered good foods for sleep. This is because these nuts contain trace amounts of melatonin- the human sleep hormone. They also contain essential nutrients for sleep regulation like magnesium and zinc.

Kiwi: Kiwi’s possess a lot of nutrients like potassium, folate, and vitamins C and E. While these nutrients are great to supplement your diet, it’s not entirely clear why kiwis are so great at helping improve sleep. In one study, it was found that people who ate two kiwis before bed slept longer, had higher quality sleep, and fell asleep twice as fast.

Fatty fish: Eating fish like salmon or tuna can help improve sleep due to the added vitamin D and Omega 3 fatty acids. Both of these nutrients help regulate the body’s levels of serotonin. Well-regulated serotonin aids in better sleep and digestion.

White rice: Though comparatively low in nutrients and fiber, white rice has been known to aid in sleep worldwide. White rice has a high glycemic index (GI), and it’s been shown that eating foods with a high GI one hour before bedtime can help aid in sleep.

READ: We Are What We Eat – The Importance of Paying Attention

Drinks for good sleep

Now let’s take a look at some of the best beverages you can consume to give yourself the best night’s sleep possible.

Water: Not that you’ll always want to drink a large glass of water right before you go to bed, but it’s important to remember to stay hydrated throughout the day. Keeping adequate levels of hydration can help improve the quality of your sleep. Especially since we’re always at our most dehydrated when asleep, remember to stay hydrated throughout the day, so your bladder won’t suffer from a large glass of water before bed.

Tart cherry juice: Tart cherries have been shown to have above-average levels of melatonin. Having an additional glass or two of tart cherry juice can help regulate the quality of your sleep overall since you’ll have extra melatonin in your system.

Malted milk: Though it’s been debunked that warm milk is the best thing for sleep, malted milk might be a good alternative. Malted milk is made by combining milk with a powder made of malted wheat and other nutrients. The milk itself contains melatonin, while the malted part contains vitamins D and B.

Chamomile tea: Chamomile tea contains flavones- a kind of antioxidant that reduces stress and inflammation. Along with boosting your immune system, studies have shown that chamomile can help people fall asleep faster and reduce anxiety.

The bottom line

If you’re suffering from poor sleep, there are a lot of things you can do to change that. Strategically altering what you eat and drink can be an easy way to sleep better and reap all the benefits of amazing sleep.

So if you’re ready to sleep better, perform better, and feel more energized, what’s the first step you’re going to take? What food or drink are you most excited to try? Let us know in the comments!