Hey there viewers! Did you sleep well last night?
Not having a peaceful good night’s sleep can make you dull and tired the next day.
Your work productivity will drop, and you’ll find yourself battling yawns the entire day.
If you’re looking to fall asleep faster, you might want to look into your diet.
That’s right, the foods you eat significantly impact your sleep. In today’s video,
we’ll discuss sleep-promoting fruits and vegetables that help you fall asleep faster.
From almonds and walnuts to fatty fish, we’ll discuss all sleep-promoting foods
AND more… (Pause)
Let’s begin with eating fatty fish What if we tell you there’s a delicious
way out there to help you sleep better? You heard that right. Plan a delightful
dinner like smoked salmon, and you’ll find a drastic improvement in your sleep pattern.
Fatty fish have the all-important omega-3 fatty acids.
These fatty acids can help reduce inflammation and protect you from heart-related diseases.
Three ounces of salmon can give you 71% of the daily vitamin D your body needs. Trout,
another type of fatty fish, can provide 81% of the required vitamin D.
The combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D can help improve the quality of your sleep.
Studies compared a group that ate salmon for dinner versus those given chicken, beef, and pork.
The group that ate the salmon fell asleep 10 minutes faster than the
others. (Pause)
Make best friends with almonds Didn’t like the idea of fatty fish?
Looking for a plant-based option? Well, you can try eating almonds.
They are great for your mental health since they help you sleep peacefully at night.
All thanks to melatonin (meh·luh·toh·nuhn) found in almonds.
Melatonin can help regulate your body clock and also improve your sleep quality.
One ounce of almonds also gives you 19% of the magnesium you need every day.
Eating enough magnesium every day can help in improving sleep quality.
It also helps in getting rid of insomnia. These tree nuts come with many health benefits.
An ounce of dry-roasted nuts can give you around 30% of the magnesium your body needs daily.
It also gives you around 20% of the phosphorus and riboflavin you’ll need daily.
The best part is it is easy to include almonds in your diet. You can snack on them between meals.
Or add them to your oatmeal. Almond milk is another great way to incorporate these nuts
into your diet. (Pause)
Try walnuts if you find yourself struggling to fall asleep
Loved munching on sleep-promoting almonds? Why not add in a few walnuts as well.
They, too, are great at putting you to sleep. Walnuts contain nearly 20 important vitamins
and minerals. They are also rich in magnesium, copper, and phosphorus.
Walnuts are a great source of fatty acids for people who do not eat meat or fish.
They improve your heart health and reduce the harmful cholesterol levels in the body.
Walnuts are also a good source of melatonin. Research suggests that
eating walnuts can improve sleep quality by producing alpha-linolenic acid.
Your body converts this into DHA, enhancing serotonin production. Giving you a better
sleep cycle. (Pause)
A fig for better sleep isn’t a figment of your imagination
Want to sleep better? Include figs in your daily diet! Figs contain ample amounts of magnesium,
iron, calcium, and potassium. These nutrients relax your muscles,
help with blood flow in your body, and are crucial for falling asleep faster and better.
There’s another reason why I love figs. Of course, they are delicious and an excellent option for
a healthy dessert. But did you know that figs contain fiber that keeps you full? This means no
weird cravings or hunger pangs at odd hours! (Pause)
Eat more cherries to sleep better at night
Love munching on cherries? Did you know how great they are for your sleep cycle?
That's right! Cherries are a great source of melatonin, which can help you sleep better.
Cherries have the highest amounts of melatonin as a natural food source.
When you eat cherries, it improves the circulation of melatonin in your body. Research has shown
cherries can enhance the amount of time you get to sleep. Studies have also shown they can improve
your overall sleep efficiency as well. Cherries also have the amino acid
tryptophan (trip·tuh·fan); Your body uses this to produce serotonin and melatonin.
The enzymes present in cherries help keep the tryptophan in your body for longer.
The result of this is a longer sleep duration. If it’s not the season for cherries,
you can still get the same effect with cherry juice. But make sure you avoid dried cherries,
as they don’t have melatonin. (Pause)
Add more lettuce to your salads and sleep better at night
Salads have always been a part of all healthy diets. Lettuce,
an essential part of most salads, can also help you improve your sleep cycle.
Try adding lettuce-based salads to your dinner to sleep soundly.
Lettuce comes with a milky secretion called lactucarium which has soothing properties
and can help you fall asleep. Lactucarium is even commonly referred to as lettuce opium.
Lettuce has been a sleep aid for a few thousand years. Studies among mice showed that lactucarium
helped in improving sleep time. (Pause)
Bored of lettuce? Try carrots instead Carrots are a rich source of alpha-carotene
(ka·ruh·teen). This particular carotenoid is known to aid in getting better sleep. Carrots
are one of the best sources of alpha-carotene. Studies have shown that alpha-carotene could
help you get a good night’s sleep. Cooked, raw, and even juiced carrots can give the same
sleep-inducing benefits. (Pause)
Next on our list is banana Bananas are another excellent
source of tryptophan, which your body can convert to melatonin and serotonin. But they
also come with a good amount of potassium, which works as a natural muscle relaxant.
A study showed that potassium plays a vital role in getting a good sleep.
Bananas are also rich in magnesium. Another study proved that raising
the magnesium levels in participants helped treat sleep-related issues such as insomnia.
Bananas contain a significant amount of vitamin B6. This vitamin helps improve serotonin levels,
which act as neurotransmitters to help you relax. (Pause)
Try eating more tomatoes to sleep better at night Tomatoes are a great source of
lycopene (lai·kuh·peen), a phytonutrient that can help you fall asleep. It is better
to consume lycopene when it is heated, as it would be easier for your body to absorb it.
So, eating cooked tomatoes can be a big help. Along with lycopene, tomatoes also have lutein and
beta-carotene. All these are potent antioxidants that can help protect your eyes. Eating tomatoes
can not only help you sleep better, but you can also make sure you don’t have to worry about
developing cataracts or macular degeneration. (Pause)
Say hello to better sleep by adding soybeans to your diet
Soybeans, or edamame, are a great source of calcium. They also come
packed with tryptophan, which your body can convert into melatonin and serotonin.
Edamame also contains isoflavones (ai·soh·flay·vonez). This is a compound
that can help improve the production of serotonin in your body. Research has shown that increasing
the intake of isoflavone can help improve sleep duration as well as the quality of sleep.
You can try other soy-based products to improve sleep. These include tempeh, miso, and tofu,
which also have good amounts of isoflavones. (Pause)
Pineapples are awesome Pineapples are a great way to
treat jet lag or insomnia. They are delicious and incredibly beneficial in helping you fall asleep,
thanks to all the melatonin they offer. Studies have shown by tracking the melatonin
markers in the body, participants who ate pineapples had a 266% increase in melatonin.
In contrast, participants who ate bananas and oranges had 180% and 47% increases, respectively.
You should include pineapple as part of your meal before you go to bed so that
you can fall asleep faster. Pineapples also help in improving your digestion. This way,
you won’t have to turn and toss around in bed due to stomach troubles while trying to sleep.
(Pause)
You can also try holy basil to help you get a good night’s sleep
Holy basil, also known as Tulsi, has been part of traditional medicine for a long time. One of its
many uses is as a sleep remedy. It differs from the sweet basil typically found on pasta dishes.
Tulsi can help in calming your mind and reducing your cortisol levels.
Higher cortisol levels increase stress, which makes going to sleep difficult.
Tulsi has also been used to treat symptoms of depression.
Holy basil is part of Thai cuisines, and you will find it is a part of most Thai recipes.
You can even dry the Tulsi leaves and use them in your tea. All you have to do is steep the leaves
in hot water and drink it before bed. (Pause)
Last on our list is the kiwi Did you know that kiwi is said
to have sleep-inducing benefits? Participants in a kiwi study ate kiwis an hour before bed. The
results? Those who ate two kiwis were able to fall asleep faster and had a better quality of sleep!
Because kiwi helps produce serotonin in your body, it can reduce your anxiety and stress,
allowing you to sleep longer. (Pause)
Eating better to sleep better is a great idea! Interested in knowing more tips
and tricks to sleep tight at night? Let’s keep the conversation going with a couple
more sleep-related videos. Shall we? 12 Proven Tips To Sleep Better At Night
This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Go To Sleep
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about sleep. Are you planning on
including any of these sleep-promoting foods in your diet? Let us know in the comments below!