Are you struggling to get to sleep? The food you're eating or not eating may be the answer. Nutritional Therapist Vanessa shares her top 6 sleep inducing foods that can help...
Turkey
Almonds
Almonds are a great source of magnesium, the ‘relaxation’ mineral. Magnesium helps calm your nervous system, allowing your body to naturally wind down. Almonds also provide a great source of fat and protein which help balance your blood sugar.
Montmorency Cherries
Tart cherries like montmorency contain melatonin, the hormone that lets your body know it's time for bed. We love adding the cherries to a smoothie or juice to make our very own sleep elixir! It's also best to add some fat or protein to your chosen drink to help balance your blood sugar levels and avoid any spikes in your stress hormone, cortisol.
We have our favourite beauty sleep smoothie recipe here if you need some inspiration!
Lettuce
Lettuce contains a phytonutrient called lactucarium which is said to induce sleep, relieve pain and promote relaxation. Romaine lettuce is the one to look out for in particular as this has the highest amount of sleep inducing nutrients. Lettuce is also a valuable source of antioxidants that protect the body from the damage to your body caused by sleep deprivation.
Banana
Bananas contain the natural muscle-relaxants magnesium and potassium which help your body fall into rest mode. They are also a great source of tryptophan. To avoid any spike in blood sugar and cortisol mix bananas with a nut milk or eat with a small handful of almonds or walnuts.
Saffron
Last but not least, saffron contains the compounds crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal which have sedative properties. Adding saffron into your diet can promote calmness and help you naturally treat insomnia. It's also a powerful antioxidant with some studies show that it may be help symptoms of depression. Simply add 2 strands of saffron into a cup of milk with 1 teaspoon of raw honey before bed.