The Best Foods for Better Sleep: Eat Your Way to a Restful Night

Ever found yourself lying in bed at night, staring up at the ceiling, wondering why sleep always seems to be sliding out of your grasp? We all do that, whether it's due to a whirling mind or just the wrong bedtimes. But here's something you might not have considered: The food on your plate could be the missing part of your sleep puzzle. Yep, what you eat can be the secret to deeper, restful sleep.

It turns out that there are some foods, which are natural sleeping enhancers and putting them into your diet just may be the trick that will help you sleep faster and longer. And before we get into specifics, let's start with a question everyone wants to know: Can food really help you sleep better?

The Link Between Food and Sleep

Before you dismiss the concept entirely that food has something to do with sleep, let's just think about how a large dinner late in the evening keeps you twisting and turning all night long, or how one cup of coffee in the afternoon keeps you wired well past bedtime. Just as bad foods/beverages can mess up your sleep, good ones stand a good chance of helping you sleep. The trick is picking the right foods.

Some are replete with sleep-inducing nutrients. There's magnesium and tryptophan, which help you regulate your sleep-wake cycle, plus the melatonin to ensure a good night's sleep. Let's take a look at some of the best foods that can naturally send you to dreamland.

Almonds: Your Bedtime Snack Hero

Almonds are the powerhouse for putting people to sleep better. These little nuts are replete with magnesium. This is a mineral that has an excellent performance in relaxing your muscles and also soothing your nervous system. Mild deficiency of magnesium often leads to insomnia, so getting enough of it could actually improve the quality of sleep.

Almonds are literally nature's sleeping pill. Who knew that something so crunchy could knock you off to sleep?

A few almonds before bed will shut your body down at night. Bonus: It's full of protein and healthy fats, so you won't need to sneak another snack into that night.

2. Kiwi: The Sleeper You Never Heard of This thin slice of heaven hosts a sleep-inducing serotonin-boosting property, aside from an impressive amount of vitamin C.

Who would ever have imagined that one of the most powerful sleep aids could come in the form of a kiwi fruit? Well, research studies actually proved this by showing that eating two kiwis an hour before sleep could give someone less time spent on falling asleep and more hours into the night spent sleeping soundly. Kiwis contain so much in the way of antioxidants, but of those, serotonin, in particular, is crucial in a sleep-wake cycle.

Ever Heard the One About Dessert Before Bed? Because dessert and sleep share a relationship in this world: not only is it delicious but also a ticket to better sleep. Kiwi, anyone?

This small green fruit is low in calories and full of vitamin C, which makes it an excellent dessert that is guilt-free.

A good night's sleep awaits. Here are three aids with which to get a good night's sleep.

3. Chamomile Tea: Timeless Slumber Solution

Chamomile tea has been an age-old natural cure for sleep disorders. Chamomile has been understood to possess sedative properties with apigenin, an antioxidant that will bind to specific receptors in your brain and diminish anxiety by inducing sleepiness.

A warm cup of chamomile tea tossed in bed makes for a great soothing bedtime routine, almost like giving the body a sign to start winding down.

Sipping on that cup of chamomile tea at night is like wearing your pajamas-only now it's from the inside out, too.

No. This really happens.

4. Turkey: The Amino Acid Goldmine

So why does that Thanksgiving dinner leave you so lousy for sleeping? All that jaw-jawing over the turkey! Turkey is loaded with an amino acid called tryptophan, which, when introduced into your system, builds serotonin and then melatonin: the sleep hormones.

The next time you have a midnight craving, perhaps the best turkey sandwich ever, to catch those Z's.

And so, just remember: if you have one of those big, fat meals too close to your bedtime, it will actually be a little harder for you to fall asleep; therefore, moderation applies.

5. Tart Cherry Juice: Nature's Melatonin

Tart cherries are actually one of the limited natural sources of melatonin, the hormone regulating your body's internal clock. In one study, it was found that drinking tart cherry juice could improve sleep quality and even duration.

It's like a mini time machine—helping you fast forward to a good night's sleep.

You might need just a small glass of tart cherry juice before bedtime, but it can be the sweet solution to sleep problems. Not to mention it is packed full of antioxidants that will help support overall health.

6. Fatty Fish: Omega-3s for Better Sleep

Salmon, tuna, and other rich sources of the darker meat of fatty fish are full of important omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D which are said to be the key regulatory agents of serotonin levels and offer better sleep. Omega-3s inhibit inflammation, which may improve patients' ability to sleep overnight without apnea symptoms, while vitamin D has been associated with the quality of rest.

A piece of grilled salmon for dinner could be your ticket to waking up refreshed, rather than a morning cup of coffee.

Plus, fatty fish provide cardiac benefits; so, you get double benefits for dinner.

7. Bananas: The Sweet Way to Fall Asleep

Bananas are a great source of potassium and magnesium, which help your muscles relax, as well as a good source of tryptophan. Natural sugars contained in bananas can provide a quick boost of energy, but magnesium and potassium ensure your body will wind down afterward.

Who knows that a fruit so popular in being eaten as a fast snack could serve as the perfect bed companion, too?

Eat banana for light snack right before bed, and you may fall asleep easily into a soothing sleep.

Now that we know what foods might increase our chances of good sleep, how do we go about introducing it into our daily lives? Here are a few tips in easy ways and means to do just that :

- Eat a Bedtime Snack: Half an hour before bed, treat yourself to a handful of almonds or a couple of kiwis. It's a great, light snack that induces sleep.

- Drink Smart: Replace that midnight latte with a calming cup of chamomile tea or a glass of tart cherry juice.

- Omega-3 Dinner: Have fatty fish like salmon or tuna on dinner time for long-term benefits.

- Banana Smoothie: Blend up a banana smoothie with almond milk-it is a delicious way to get ready for sleep.

Why does it matter? Well, this is where sleeping really starts to show the importance for your health.

That's rest, and perhaps rejuvenation as well. A restful sleep is what brings your body and mind to the most deplorable state of being. There are many health complications one suffers through with chronic sleep deprivation, such as impaired cognitive function, weakened immunity, and greater chances of heart disease.

Adding sleep-friendly foods to your diet improves the chances of a good night's sleep and good health in general. The body does much of its repair work while you sleep-rebuilds tissues, irons out wrinkles, and tear patterns, and fortifies your immune system, among many other things.

Food Really Can Help You Sleep Better.

Absolutely! It's not a magic cure for every sleep issue, but right foods can help your body prepare for rest. Paying attention to one's diet, making little swaps – from sugary snack to a handful of almonds or to a kiwi – one can begin to see improvements in the quality of their sleep.

The next time you're tossing and turning, perhaps it is time to think about what you had for dinner. It might be time to make a few sleep-friendly adjustments to your plate and catch those elusive Z's.