Best and Worst Foods for Sleep (cont.)

Milk

Best

You may have fond memories of your mother or grandmother making you a glass of warm milk to help you fall asleep.

This may not be just an old wives’ tale. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to the brain chemical serotonin.

Although the topic is a controversial one, some people believe that tryptophan and serotonin might make it easier to sleep. Or maybe  a simple glass of milk brings back soothing childhood memories, which help you drift off.

Wine

Worst

Alcohol of any kind is “terrible” for sleep, says Rosenberg. Why? It metabolizes quickly in your system and causes you to wake up multiple times during the night.

One study found that a glass of bourbon or vodka mixed with caffeine-free soda at bedtime increased the amount of time women spent awake during the night by 15 minutes. It also reduced nightly sleep time by 19 minutes and diminished quality of sleep.

If you don’t refrain from alcohol for our own benefit, do it for your mate. “Alcohol makes snoring worse so it will impact you and your potential bed partner,” said Rosenberg.

Jasmine rice

Best

Jasmine rice ranks high on the glycemic index, meaning the body digests it slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream.

A 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming jasmine rice four hours before bedtime cut the amount of time it took to fall asleep in half when compared with eating a high-glycemic-index meal at the same time interval.

The authors speculate that high-glycemic-index meals may up the production of tryptophan.

Coffee

Worst

Coffee contains caffeine, which is a central nervous stimulant. Translation: Drinking Java too close to bedtime will keep you up at night.

Of course, people differ in their sensitivity to caffeine and that’s usually based on how much caffeine you’re accustomed to consuming, says Timothy Roehrs, Ph.D., a senior scientist with Henry Ford Sleep Disorder and Research Center in Detroit.

If you don’t know your tolerance, skip the java, especially late in the day.

Fortified cereal

Best

Carbs in general are good for sleep but it’s not a great idea to binge on a box of cookies before bedtime (or anytime).

Instead, try a bowl of Kashi or shredded wheat which contain “good” or complex carbs. Even better, cereal goes well with milk which has its own sleep-promoting qualities. “That’s two for the price of one,” Rosenberg says.

Other complex carbs are quinoa, barley, and buckwheat.

More in next post.