Foods That Help You Fall Asleep

Most of us have heard that a warm cup of milk before bedtime can help you to feel sleepy, and even though we may not know exactly why, it has been one of the oldest home remedies for insomnia. In fact, there has been no medical basis to support the theory of warm (or cold) milk inducing sleep. It may be that it has been part of your routine since childhood and provides comfort. There’s nothing wrong with milk before bedtime though, so if it works for you then go for it.

The belief has been that tryptophan found in certain foods (like the milk) can help promote sleepiness. You know, the old urban legend of the Thanksgiving turkey putting everyone to sleep. The question is, “Does it really work?”

Actually, the amount of tryptophan found in foods is probably not enough to induce sleep. Okay, maybe it would be better said that the amount of food that you would have to eat in order to get enough of the enzyme is way too much. The only way to get enough tryptophan to the brain to aid sleep would be through a supplement.

Tryptophan is an amino acid found in proteins – foods like dairy, bananas, soy foods, and turkey. In order to induce sleepiness enough tryptophan needs to get to the brain, which is a difficult task, because it has to get past other blocking amino acids to succeed. Without going into a long explanation about brain function and blood chemistry, which is way above my head anyway, it boils down to eating a combination of protein-rich foods and complex carbohydrates.

Following are some ideas for a small pre-bedtime snack, starting with my favorite:

Slice of whole grain bread/toast topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas, washed down with a glass of milk. Sometimes I trade the bananas for a little honey.

Whole-grain cereal, with or without bananas, and milk.

A Small slice of apple or pumpkin pie and a cup of chamomile tea.

Oatmeal-raisin cookie and milk or herbal tea (non-caffeine).

Peanut butter sandwich.

A cup of yogurt with a little cereal or granola on top.

A couple slices of chicken or turkey on a piece of whole-grain bread.

Tuna or egg salad on whole-grain bread with sesame seeds.

A handful of pretzels and milk (hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it)

Oatmeal with bananas or strawberries.

You get the idea, right? Choose what you like as long as you keep it light, stick with these kinds of foods and stay away from alcohol, caffeine and anything spicy.