Having trouble sleeping through the night? You are not alone.
Studies show that majority of adults in the world are having less than recommended eight hours sleep.
In most cases reaching for that bottle of wine might seem to be a long term solution, but guess what? By just changing your diet and eating some food, you can sleep better than before.
Understanding Serotonin
Serotonin is a hormone naturally occurring in the body. It is simply a chemical messenger that acts on the brain to stabilize one’s mood. Serotonin helps maintain mood and behavior helping you relax and sleep better.
There are different kinds of supplements sold over the counter that helps boost levels of serotonin in the body.
However, it is always best to get tryptophan, an amino acid known to increase serotonin from the natural locally available foods.
Tryptophan is an amino acid, simply a protein in nature. Since serotonin is not found in foods, eating foods high in tryptophan will naturally increase your serotonin levels.
Studies have shown a decreased level of serotonin in the brain, once foods containing tryptophan are withdrawn from the diet (1).
Besides serotonin, melatonin is also another sleep inducing hormone. Heard of putting off your lights before jumping to bed? Well melatonin increases in darkness. Some foods contain vitaminB6 help trigger an increase in levels of melatonin.
Here are seven foods high in tryptophan, vitamin B6, and other nutrients to help boost your serotonin and melatonin levels for better sleep;
1. Bananas
Bananas are widely known to help with constipation.
Besides that, they contain magnesium and potassium which are both muscle and nerve relaxants. They also contain vitamin B6 which helps boost levels of melatonin for a quicker and better sleep.
Having a banana before bed time is a great way to remain a sleep as much as possible.
