What Food Can Help You Sleep?
What you eat has an effect on your sleep patterns, and you probably already know that. Who hasn't had a crazy dream after eating something unusual? Maybe certain foods give you heartburn and you can't stay asleep because of the discomfort.
Other things you eat may help you fall asleep. Heavy meals can make you feel drowsy, but you don't want to be overeating as a sleep strategy. Sometimes a warm glass of milk at bedtime (or hot herbal tea) can soothe you to sleep. Thanksgiving is famous for making people drowsy. Some claim it's the tryptophan in the turkey, others blame the high sugar and starch content of the rest of the meal.
One food surpasses all others in helping you to sleep. Many plant derived foods have natural melatonin - the very chemical that helps your body know it's time to fall asleep! Tart cherries have an especially high concentration of melatonin. There's even been a study showing just two 8-ounce servings of tart cherry juice had a measurable effect on how long it took to fall asleep and how long the participants stayed asleep. You could get as much as an hour extra sleep every night just by having a couple of cups of juice every day!
It's exciting to see something as simple and healthy as the delicious cherry could be one of your best options for getting a great night's rest! As a bonus, tart cherry juice is also a known treatment for gout and for reducing muscle soreness post workout. We think that it's always great news to see an easy, natural solution that can help you live a healthier life. Don't you agree?