Sleep is very necessary for all living beings in this world. It is a naturally re-occurring state in which the person undergoes reduced or absent consciousness with inactivity of the nearly all voluntary muscles. But there are few factors which make us sleepless, and we don't get enough rest. It could be due to stress, depression or ageing factors like menopause in women. It is not always necessary to depend upon the sleeping pills to have a goodnight's sleep when you got nature's best sleep inducers in your kitchen. Here is the list of top ten sleep-inducing foods that will help you to sleep soundly every night.
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Banana
Banana is practically the best sleep-inducing food. Banana helps to release melatonin and serotonin in our body. These two are hormones, which relax our body. In addition, they contain magnesium, which helps in relaxing the body muscles
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Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea helps you to relax. It works as the perfect anti-dote to your restless mind and body. Chamomile tea is well-known for its sedating effect and helps you to sleep sound. It has relaxants and is an anti-spasmodic. Hence, it helps to relax the mind and body and give a peaceful sleep.
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Warm milk
A glass of warm milk before sleeping has always been a custom in Indian culture. Well, it is not a myth anymore. Studies show that milk has tryptophan. It is a kind of amino acid that has sedative properties. Milk is also a rich source of calcium. Calcium helps the brain to utilize the tryptophan, which results in deep sleep.
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Honey
Honey works like magic when you are wide-awake on your bed, waiting to fall asleep. It has been proved that a little honey in your herbal tea and warm milk signals your brain to turn off orexin. Orexin is recently discovered neurotransmitter that helps us to stay awake and alert. A slight word of caution here, too much sweet can stimulate your brain instead.
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Potatoes
Carbohydrates like potatoes help to clean all the acids in the gastrointestinal tract. This leads to washing out all those components that block the effects of tryptophan. A small bowl of mashed potatoes will not hurt your body and your diet regime at all. Mix one or two boiled potatoes with small amount of warm milk and mash it. Your sleep food is ready to eat!
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Oatmeal
Oats are rich source of melatonin and serotonin. These two hormones help to relax the neurotransmitters of the brain and help you to have an undisturbed and sound sleep. Two or three oatmeal cookies with a glass of warm milk are very good remedies for peaceful sleep. So, include them in your bedtime snacks to have a goodnight sleep.
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Almonds
Almonds are rich source of magnesium. Magnesium helps to relax your muscles and calm your body. They also contain good amounts of tryptophan that induces sleep. Hence, some almonds before bed are not a bad idea at all.
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Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are helpful to cure the sleeplessness that occurs due to depression. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are natural mood lifters and contain almost all amino acids. Sprinkling two spoons of flaxseed powder on your oatmeal gives you multiple health benefits.
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Whole-wheat bread
Whole-wheat bread with honey is helpful to release insulin in the body. Insulin helps tryptophan reach the brain, where it is converted to serotonin. Serotonin in turn induces sleep.
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Turkey
We all are familiar with the phenomenon of heavy sleep after the heavy Thanksgiving dinner. It is all because of the huge turkey served in dinner. Studies show that turkeys are the most famous source of tryptophan. Turkey works as a sleep inducer only when the stomach has some space left after a carb-rich dinner and is not over-filled with proteins. It works best when one or two slices of lean turkey meat is sandwiched with whole wheat bread. You can add almond butter or your favorite raw veggies to it and you are ready to sleep.
