We all know that drinking gallons of coffee will keep you tossing and turning all night, while that late-night slice of cheese on toast may give you nightmares, but beside the obvious could some foods actually help us get a good night’s sleep?
With our growing addiction to technology (yes, we know you sleep with your phone), changing seasons and increasingly busy lives, we need all the help we can get to clock up the recommended eight hours of kip a night.
While drinking a glass of warm milk might be something our grandparents did, they were right in thinking that your diet is a good place to start to get that uninterrupted night.
‘”We underestimate the importance our gut has on our overall wellbeing and only notice our digestive system when something goes wrong.
Vital hormones like serotonin, which regulates sleep, are produced in the gut, so any disfunction in our digestion can have a snowball effect on our overall health.”
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Foods That Help You Sleep
Cherries(01 of10)
Open Image ModalDark Chocolate(02 of10)
Open Image ModalAlmonds(03 of10)
Open Image ModalCamomile Tea(04 of10)
Open Image ModalSwap your evening caffeine fix for a cup of camomile tea. Drinking this herbal tea will help you get your snooze on faster, as it lacks the caffeine most teas have and is associated with an increase of glycine, a chemical that relaxes nerves and muscles. (credit:Maximilian Stock Ltd. via Getty Images)
Kale(05 of10)
Open Image ModalKale is not only good for your health and diet, but will help you get your beauty sleep too. Loaded with calcium, green leafy vegetables help the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin and serotonin - while keeping your diet in check too. (credit:jrwasserman via Getty Images)
Honey(06 of10)
Open Image ModalTry adding honey to your tea before bed time. It contains natural sugar that slightly raises insulin levels and allows tryptophan (an amino-acid that makes us sleepy) to enter the brain more easily. (credit:rvbox via Getty Images)
Walnuts(07 of10)
Open Image ModalBananas(08 of10)
Open Image ModalOily fish(09 of10)
Open Image ModalMost oily fish (especially tuna and salmon) boast vitamin B6, which is needed to make melatonin, so a nice tuna salad or salmon dish could just make you drift off more easily. (credit:Iain Bagwell via Getty Images)
Jasmine Rice(10 of10)
Open Image ModalJasmine rice has a high glycemic index, so the body digests it as a slow speed, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream. It also boosts the production of tryptophan and serotonin so eating it will significantly reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep. (credit:MIB Pictures via Getty Images)
If you've ever been kept up with snoring, you're not alone. While it is often joked about, it can put a serious crimp in your life. The NHS says that this maintaining a healthy diet and weight could be the key:
“Being overweight by just a few kilograms can lead to snoring. Fatty tissue around you neck squeezes the airway and prevents air from flowing in and out freely.
Avoid alcohol before going to bed. It causes the muscles to relax more than usual during a normal night’s sleep. This added relaxation of the muscles makes the back of the throat collapse more readily, which then causes snoring.”
So, if you’re going to tuck into a midnight snack, make sure it's one of these…