Sunday, February 04, 2007

10 Foods for a Good Night's Sleep

10 Foods for a Good Night’s Sleep

Want a good night’s sleep? Put down the pill bottle and head to the kitchen. Some foods help relax your body and quiet your mind while others stimulate the production of sleep-inducing melatonin and serotonin. Choose from this list of foods to help send you to dreamland.

Bananas.
Bananas contain magnesium to relax muscles, and also melatonin and serotonin as well. Warm milk. Mom was right — the amino-acid tryptophan found in milk acts like a sedative, and the calcium helps the body use it.

Potatoes.
Potatoes cancel out the acids that can interfere with snooze-inducing tryptophan.

Chamomile tea.
A long-time staple of teas formulated for drinking before bedtime, chamomile acts as a mild sedative. Oatmeal. Oats are rich in melatonin — and are filling, so as to tide you over during your journey through the land of Nod.

Cheddar cheese.
A wedge of cheddar cheese is also rich in tryptophan.

Honey.
A bit of honey to sweeten tea or warm milk will help your brain switch off orexin, a neurotransmitter that helps keep you alert.

Whole-wheat bread.
Add a piece of toast to tea that’s sweetened with honey, and insulin will help convert tryptophan to serotonin.

Almonds.
Heart-healthy almonds also contain tryptophan and magnesium.

Turkey.
Loaded with tryptophan, a couple of slices of turkey on whole-wheat bread will help bring a restful night’s sleep.

Source: Newsmax.com

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