How To Get A Good Night's Sleep: Eating These Foods Will Help You Nod Off

Foods To Help You Get A Good Night's Sleep
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Michelle McMahon via Getty Images

Trouble sleeping? You're not alone.

A busy lifestyle, changing seasons and a growing addiction to technology - we know you check emails and Facebook in bed - is taking its toll in the bedroom (and we're not talking about sex).

We're sleeping less. It's recommended that the average adult clocks up eight hours sleep per night, but if you work hard and (ahem) play hard, that seems nigh-on impossible.

Something's gotta give - and food is a good place to start.

While we all know that drinking gallons of coffee will keep you awake and eating cheese late at night may give you nightmares, there is little else we know about the relationship between what we consume and our sleep patterns.

Here are some foods that will help you get a good night's sleep.

Foods That Help You Sleep
Cherry Juice(01 of12)
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Cherries (particularly tart cherries) naturally boost levels of melatonin (naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate the sleep cycle), so try having a glass of cherry juice before hitting the hay. (credit:Carina Tjarnlund via Getty Images)
Walnuts(02 of12)
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Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan, a sleep-enhancing amino acid that helps make serotonin and melatonin, the “body clock” hormone that sets your sleep-wake cycles, according to NHS website. (credit:Pauline Mak/Flickr)
Fish(03 of12)
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Most 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 your sleepy time that much better. (credit:Tooga via Getty Images)
Almonds(04 of12)
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Almonds are rich in magnesium, a mineral needed for quality sleep and they're fun to snack on. Try mixing them with some dried fruits to add flavour. (credit:HealthAliciousNess/Flickr)
Camomile Tea(05 of12)
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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:Westend61 - WEP via Getty Images)
Honey(06 of12)
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Try 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:Jack Andersen via Getty Images)
Cereal(07 of12)
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The snack combines two components for getting some snooze: carbohydrates from the cereal and calcium from the milk. Yum! (Perhaps it could explain why we're still so sleepy after breakfast at times.) (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Banana(08 of12)
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Our favourite tropical fruit is an excellent source of magnesium and potassium, which help relax muscles. They also contain tryptophan, which convert to serotonin (sleep-inducing neurotransmitter) and melatonin. (credit:Petre Mihai via Getty Images)
Rice(09 of12)
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White rice (in particular jasmine rice) has a high glycemic index (glycemic index (GI) is a measurement carried out on carbohydrate-containing foods and their impact on our blood sugar), so eating it will significantly reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep. (credit:MIB Pictures via Getty Images)
Kale(10 of12)
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Kale is not only good for your health and diet, but will help you get your beauty sleep. Loaded with calcium, green leafy vegetables help the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin and serotonin - while keeping your diet in check. (credit:Jill Ferry Photography via Getty Images)
Cheese and crackers(11 of12)
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Cheese and crackers may just be your best bedtime snack choice. Calcium (found in cheese, yogurt and milk) helps the brain use the tryptophan found in dairy to manufacture sleep-triggering melatonin. Plus it's delicious. (credit:Tom Kelley via Getty Images)
Hummus(12 of12)
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Hummus (as well as chickpeas) is a great source of tryptophan, so some hummus with whole-grain crackers could save you from some serious tossing and turning. (credit:The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Give them a whirl and let us know whether your sleep improves in the comments below.