ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Lack of sleep can lead to chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease and mood disorders. It can sabotage your efforts at losing weight and can even lower life expectancy. With so much to do and so little time to do it, it’s hard to make sleep a priority.
Experts say what you eat can help you sleep.
Foods containing the amino acid tryptophan can make you sleepy. So try foods like milk, cheese, bananas and apples. And combining these foods with a carbohydrate can make the effect even stronger. So have a bowl of cereal or some cheese and crackers before bedtime.
You can also enjoy some lentils or a hand full of almonds before sleep. These foods are rich in magnesium, a muscle relaxing mineral to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Finally, you should avoid foods with a high water content, like celery, cucumbers and watermelon. These are natural diuretics that can cause you to wake up several times in the middle of the night with a full bladder.
Melatonin, otherwise known as nature’s sleeping pill, is found in foods like cherries, tomatoes, oats and pineapples. Snacking on these items before sleep can also help ensure a good night’s rest.
Contributors to this news report include: Brogan Morris, producer; and Jesse Draus, editor and videographer.
