Having Trouble Sleeping? Try These Foods!

Do you have problems sleeping at night? Do you have trouble going into a food coma? A food coma is the state of drowsiness, many people find themselves in following eating large meals or foods that make you sleepy. Tryptophan is an amino acid in foods that actually stimulates melatonin and serotonin production in the brain. These neurotransmitters have a calming effect on the mind and the body. So eating meals heavy in tryptophan can have a narcotic like effect for knocking you out. Here are some foods that can actually help you sleep.

1. Oatmeal. Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.

2. Warm milk. Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.

3. Ice cream. Dairy is also another source for tryptophan, making it a sleep-inducing food. The fun part is that ice cream is loaded with calcium because it is a dairy product and calcium actually helps the body process the tryptophan more efficiently. So eating a bowl of ice cream (while not good for the waistline )can actually help you achieve the bottom line if that bottom line is sleep.

4. Bananas. Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

5. Cherries. Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.

6. Toast. Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep..

There you are! Try these foods and you will be in dream land soon. Happy sleeping!