By Nutritional Therapist
We all know that sleep (and quality sleep at that) is essential for us to function properly. It’s also crucial to help our body heal, recover, stay healthy, and remain productive during the day. Lack of sleep can also lead to more serious health problems further down the road, including an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, weight issues, and certain types of cancer.
According to the NHS around one in every three people in the UK live with insomnia, a common sleep disorder that makes falling or remaining asleep persistently difficult.
While there are medications that can help people living with insomnia or those who find it hard to sleep, there are natural remedies for deep sleep that can work. From tweaking your lifestyle to enjoying foods for insomnia.
So, what is the most effective natural sleep aid? Let’s find out
What is Insomnia?
Although most of us experience the occasional night when we find it hard to drop off, insomnia is something very different. This is when you find it hard not just to fall asleep, but to stay asleep throughout the night.
Consistent, poor-quality sleep can have a negative effect on your general health and well-being, interfering with your daily activities and making you more likely to suffer from depression, attention, and memory problems, not to mention daytime sleepiness. A good night’s sleep, on the other hand, not only improves concentration and memory, but it allows your body to repair any cell damage and refreshes your immune system, helping to prevent disease.
What Causes Insomnia?
In many cases, insomnia can be caused by underlying health issues, most of which are treatable. To help you get a good night’s kip, it’s important to identify all possible causes so you can get the support you need.
Some common causes of sleep issues include:
- Stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Medications
- Health issues
- Menopause
- Pain
- Lack of physical activity
- Too much caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, or illegal drugs
There are a number of ways to improve your sleep habits by addressing emotional issues, improving your sleep environment, and choosing a healthier lifestyle and eating habits. Certain foods can have a negative effect on sleep, so knowing the best food to eat at night and what food makes you sleepy can help.
What is the Most Effective Natural Sleep Aid
What you eat during the day can affect the quality and duration of your sleep. Certain foods, such as caffeine, black tea, alcohol, sweets, biscuits, cakes, white bread, fried foods, fatty meats, fast food, and processed foods, can disrupt your circadian rhythm (internal clock), and interfere with your sleep patterns.
What you eat can alter your gut biome, which helps you digest and absorb your food, which can also affect your sleep. So, knowing the best natural remedies for deep sleep and consuming them can help get your sleep get back on track. Allowing you to enjoy a full night’s sleep and feel refreshed and full of energy for the day ahead.
OK. So what foods make you sleepy? Some of our favourite foods for insomnia not only taste amazing, but can help your body rest, reset, and recharge during the night.
The Best Food to Eat at Night
What we eat affects more than just our sleep. It can play a huge part in our weight, heart health, and blood sugar levels. Here are some natural remedies for deep sleep that can not only help you get a bit of shut-eye but improve your diet overall.
Kiwi
Delicious kiwi fruit contains a bunch of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C and E, potassium, and folate.
Milky Drinks
Malted milk drinks can reduce sleep interruptions thanks to the B and D vitamins in the malt. Milk also contains melatonin, making it a natural source of the sleep-producing hormone.
Nuts
Instead of chocolate after dinner, snack on nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashews, which are often considered to be one of the best foods to eat at night as they contain melatonin and minerals like magnesium and zinc, which can help you get a better night’s sleep.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is not only a natural remedy for deep sleep, but it can also boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve skin health.
Chamomile contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which binds to certain receptors in your brain that can promote sleepiness and help reduce insomnia.
Tart Cherry Juice
Yummy tart cherry juice contains magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium as well as a bunch of antioxidants. It is also rich in melatonin, which has beneficial sleep-promoting effects.
Passionflower Tea
As well as having flavonoid antioxidants (which can help reduce inflammation, boost your immune system, and reduce heart disease risk), it also contains apigenin, which produces a calming effect.
This calming effect can help ease stress and anxiety, which can improve sleep and promote sleepiness.
Bananas
Bananas contain a modest amount of magnesium, and their peel contains tryptophan. Both of these properties make them natural remedies for sleep.
Oats
Oats are high in carbohydrates and contain fibre, both of which are reported to induce sleepiness when eaten before bed. As a bonus, oats are also a known source of melatonin, making them the perfect bedtime snack.
Enjoy Foods for Insomnia and Sleep Better
Getting enough sleep is crucial for your overall health.
While it’s important to get to the crux of your sleeping challenges and speak to your doctor about anything that’s concerning you, knowing which natural remedies for deep sleep is something you can do today to try and help your sleep in a natural and gentle way.
Check out the insomnia section on Quinowa and fill up on tasty and beneficial sleep-enhancing foods and drinks created by passionate small businesse
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