Foods to Help You Get More Shut Eye
May 21, 2014
In today's fast-paced world it is very common to miss out on getting enough restful sleep each night. The challenge of balancing proper rest with everything else that needs to get done in a day can be very tricky. However, many are not aware that not getting enough rest can wreak havoc on your eyesight. While it's obvious that lack of sleep can cause dark circles to appear under your eyes, not getting enough rest can interfere with your eye health.
Getting quality shut eye can be especially difficult if your body is still awake, but there are some foods that can actually help to induce sleep and achieve a more restful night. Here are a few sleep-promoting bedtime snacks to consumer an hour before hitting the hay:
Peanut butter and crackers
Some all-natural peanut butter spread on some whole wheat crackers provides a mix of carbohydrates and protein with a bit of tryptophan.
Cheese stick
Snacking on a low-fat cheese stick before bedtime also supplies tryptophan as well as lean protein, which can leave you calm and less frazzled while helping to keep your blood sugar on an even keel throughout the night.
Bananas and nuts
Eating half a banana along with a handful of your favorite nuts provides your body with tryptophan and carbohydrates.
A bowl of cereal
The milk contains tryptophan and the whole-grain cereal adds some complementary complex carbohydrates. Avoid the sugary cereals as sugar can cause sleep-disrupting blood sugar crashes during the night.
Make sure you eat dinner at least three hours before bedtime and have one of these snooze-inducing snacks about an hour before you climb into bed. You never want to go to bed full or hungry - both can be disruptive to your rest. Instead try to find a happy balance and you may just get a more sleep-filled slumber.