Studies have confirmed that various food stuffs (lettuce, nuts, kiwis, cherries, and much more) increase sleep duration and sleep quality. A recent study from researchers at the University of Extremadura confirmed this for cherries, for instance. These researchers found that melatonin levels in their test groups increased significantly.
Cherries are also known to promote sleepiness, and it has even been studied for its role in relieving insomnia. It has been found that tart cherries (the sour kind) are a natural source of melatonin. For these reasons, drinking cherry juice or having it as it before bed may improve your sleep quality. In fact, there are even some small studies like those conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and the School of Life Sciences at Northumbria University in the UK have suggested incorporating tart cherries into your daily diet to help regulate your sleep cycle and make it easier for you to fall asleep at night.
Also, lettuce is a surprisingly effective bedtime snack that helps with sleep. Romaine lettuce especially contains a phytonutrient called lactucarium, which is said to induce sleep, relieves pain and promote relaxation. So if you’re feeling peckish after the sun goes down, chow down on some of that crispy green stuff and enjoy some shut-eye.
Nuts are always a good source of heart-healthy fats. They are a great snack for when you’re on the go and are awesome additions to a salad. But did you know that some nuts, like almonds and walnuts, specifically, contain melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate your sleep/wake cycle. Eating them can increase your blood levels of the hormone and help you sleep more soundly.
The standard of any fruit salad, the kiwi fruit is found to contribute to better sleep because it contains serotonin. In a four-week study conducted by the School of Nutrition and Health Sciences at Taipei Medical University, 24 adults consumed two kiwi fruits an hour before sleeping and at the end of the study, participants fell asleep 42 percent more quickly than when they didn’t eat anything before bedtime. Additionally, their ability to sleep through the night without waking improved, while their total sleep time also increased.
