Late-night snacks are often blamed for disrupting sleep, but choosing foods containing sleep-friendly ingredients instead of spicy or stimulating options can reduce the negative impact on your rest. Here are four late-night snacks recommended by the U.S. food magazine BBC Good Food that can help you sleep better.
1. Berry Yogurt
Berry yogurt is an excellent option for nighttime sweet cravings. While sugar can spike blood sugar levels, making it harder to fall asleep, berries contain dietary fiber that helps prevent rapid blood sugar increases.
The protein in yogurt also helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and keeps you feeling full. Additionally, the calcium in yogurt aids in producing melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep and helps stabilize muscles and nerves.
2. Toast or Apple with Almond Butter
Spreading almond butter on whole-grain toast or apple slices is another excellent choice. Almonds are packed with vitamin E, unsaturated fatty acids, and magnesium.
Magnesium helps convert tryptophan into melatonin and promotes the release of GABA, a brain chemical that calms the mind and body.
3. Banana Ice Cream
Banana ice cream made with bananas and milk is also a sleep-supportive snack. Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and tryptophan, which stimulate the production of melatonin and serotonin, helping the body relax. BBC Good Food also shared a recipe for making banana ice cream without artificial additives. Here’s how to make it:
- Cut one banana into four pieces.
- Freeze the pieces, blend them with milk in a mixer, and transfer them to a container.
- Freeze for an hour, then scoop and enjoy.
4. Seeds
Seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds can also promote better sleep. They are rich in tryptophan, zinc, and magnesium, which are known to improve sleep quality.
However, store-bought products may have high sodium content, so choosing low-sodium or unsalted options is best.
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