Whether you're a night owl or an early bird, when we go to bed we all want one thing: to fall asleep calmly. We tell you what you should and shouldn't eat before you sleep.
Nothing is more annoying than insomnia and tossing and turning. Good and restful sleep is crucial for our health. Science is not yet 100 %ig sure what foods we should eat before sleep to go to the land of dreams with peace of mind. Many ingredients of foods are sleep-promoting and others are sleep-robbing.
This is a list of things you should eat before sleeping and things you should stay away from before dreaming:
Table of contents
Cherries
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Cherries are one of the few foods that contain melatonin. It helps our body to have its internal clock under control. People who travel a lot often take melatonin capsules to survive their jet lag.
A study has shown that fresh cherry juice also helps people with sleep disorders to find inner peace.
Cheese Burger
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You should definitely not eat the fat contained in the burger before going to sleep. The burger is guaranteed to kill your sleep.
Fat stimulates the production of acid in the stomach. This can cause it to constantly burp you and you suffer from heartburn.
In short: Never eat a burger before sleeping! All that fat and salt is not only bad for your sleep, but also for your health.
Milk
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Maybe you remember: Your mum or grandmother used to give you a glass of warm milk in the evening.
This is not a fairy tale or imagination. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan. It is related to the body's own serotonin.
However: some people believe that tryptophan and serotonin have a positive influence on our sleep.
But maybe the glass of milk in the evening just brings back childhood memories and that makes us sleep better. :)
Turkey
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If you're not sure what to eat before bed, reach for turkey.
Like milk, turkey also contains tryptophan, which calms the body and relaxes. But if you have sleep problems, unfortunately, even a whole turkey or 1 liter of milk will not help.
Wine
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Alcohol is the worst thing for restful sleep. It makes you wake up several times a night.
By the way, alcohol is also responsible for the fact that we snore in our sleep. So stay away from it: at least for the sake of your partner :)
Bananas
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Bananas help you fall asleep. This is due to the mix of magnesium and potassium, which relaxes our muscles.
Jasmine rice
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Jasmine rice is digested slowly by the body. This means that the glucose is released steadily into the body.
A study conducted in 2007 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that jasmine rice four hours before sleep makes it easier to fall asleep. This is said to be due to the fact that the body releases tryptophan during this time.
Coffee
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As you know, coffee contains caffeine, which stimulates our nervous system. In short, drinking coffee before going to bed keeps you awake.
Of course, this is not the same for everyone. One person is more sensitive to caffeine, the other less so.
If you're not sure how your body will react to it, it's better to stay away from coffee late at night.
Dark chocolate
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Yes, now you have to be strong. But above all dark chocolate* In addition to lots of calories, chocolate often contains caffeine. Chocolate also contains theobomine, which slightly increases our heart rate and prevents us from falling asleep.
Chicken
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Chicken or any kind of protein is sleep inducing. If you eat that before you sleep, you might not be able to fall asleep.
Your body can't focus on sleeping now, but focuses on digestion.
Sweet potatoes
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Sweet potatoes are a dream and also put you in the dream world. They contain not only carbohydrates, but also the muscle relaxant potassium.
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