Fruits That Help You Sleep – And How to Blend Them

Fruits That Help You Sleep

Trouble falling asleep? If you do, then you’re not alone. There are millions of people who go to bed every night and who have difficulty falling asleep. Maybe it’s insomnia, maybe it’s a case of not getting restful, deep sleep. Whatever the reason, you should certainly try and find a solution.

A lack of sleep is terrible for several reasons. First, it makes you irritable the next day. Having bad sleep is never a good thing for mental well being. It also makes you physically tired. If you have a job that requires any sort of physical activity, a lack of sleep can make it difficult to perform. Bad sleep also hurts you if you’re someone who wants to hit the gym. You won’t be able to exercise if you’re operating on poor sleep.

More importantly, if you don’t get enough sleep then you have an increase risk of developing Alzheimer’s. The reason is that proteins in your brain that are linked to developing Alzheimer’s are “flushed out” when you sleep. So, a lack of sleep can have devastating effects later on down the line.

So, to counteract this, it’s important that you find a way to get good sleep.

Some people try and help themselves sleep by having a drink before bed. That’s actually a bad idea. Drinking alcohol prevents you from getting deep sleep. While you fall asleep, you don’t have the deep sleep and REM that is healthy. Likewise, when you take sleeping pills, you’re obtaining an unnatural sleep that isn’t beneficial.

The  Melatonin Connection: Why Fruits Help You Sleep

The reason that fruits help you sleep is because they naturally contain a hormone called melatonin. This is the same thing you often see for sale in health food stores. Your body also produces this hormone when it is dark out. The hormone is secreted by your pineal gland. However, some people find that supplementing is needed in order to help them fall asleep.

You can take melatonin supplements, but I always suggest that it is healthier and better to obtain additional melatonin from food. And the best food to eat in order to get melatonin is fruit.

Many people think of turkey as helping you sleep, but that is not due to it’s melatonin content. That’s more linked to an amino acid called tryptophan. However, that’s not the same thing as melatonin. It’s an amino acid, which is part of protein. Melatonin is a hormone that is directly linked to sleep. It is related into the body at night, when you’re supposed to sleep.

Some fruits contain more melatonin then others. In particular tart cherries and kiwis are known for having high levels of melatonin.

Tart Cherries – Great For Nighttime Smoothies

One of the best foods to help you fall asleep are tart cherries. These dark fruit are a rich source of natural melatonin. Studies have been done using tart cherry juice, but I tend to prefer eating the whole cherries. If you are not able to get fresh or frozen tart cherries, or they make you feel a bit full and you don’t want to eat them right before bed, then you can certainly get tart cherry juice and use that.

The great thing about eating tart cherries before bed is that they actually increase not only the melatonin, but they improve the quality of your sleep. You will get a deeper, more refreshing sleep than you might otherwise get. They have the opposite effect as something such as coffee or tea.

If you have trouble finding fresh tart cherries, then you can always get them frozen. Places like Costco and BJs sell large bags of frozen tart cherries. I do recommend that you stick with an organic brand if you’re getting frozen fruit because it is obviously healthier, and you don’t have to worry about washing it, which is a headache with frozen fruit.

Bananas – Great with Peanut Butter Too

Bananas are an excellent food to eat at night for restful sleep. It might be surprising to learn, but that’s the truth. Most people think of bananas as morning food. You might eat them in your smoothie, or with your cereal or oatmeal, but they are great at night as well. The reason is threefold.

The first thing that makes bananas so great for sleeping is that they are filled with magnesium. This is a mineral that helps to create a restful body. If you don’t have magnesium, you can feel agitated and uneasy. So, it’s important that you get this mineral in your diet and bananas are a great source. In fact, many over the country sleep aids contain magnesium as something that is designed to aid with sleep.

The second thing that makes bananas such a great sleeping food is that it’s rich in potassium. This is a mineral that helps to regulate sleep, and if you are deficient in it (which is very possible given the modern diet) then you will have difficulty achieving a deep sleep.

Finally, one of the main reasons that bananas are such as powerful sleeping food is that they have the amino acid tryptophan. While this amino acid doesn’t in and of itself aid in sleep, it does end up creating serotonin , which is important because that helps with restful sleep.

Kiwis- Green Goodness

Kiwis are another amazing fruit for falling asleep. You don’t often hear about them too much in connection with sleeping and foods that help you sleep, but they do and again it’s due to the fruit containing tryptophan.

I like to eat kiwis but they are also good to blend up in a fruit smoothie.

You might want to make a fruit smoothie to night and I am a big fan of kiwis combined with cherries. The kiwis are best if they are not too ripe. If they are too ripe they are going to be a bit too sweet. I prefer there to be a bit of a sharpness to the smoothie.