An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but a banana at night can help you sleep tight. Next time you're up late, battling a pesky combination of hunger and restlessness, reach for a banana before bed as a healthy late-night snack.
Cherries are known for being one of the best foods for sleep as they naturally contain melatonin. Snacking on cherries or drinking cherry juice can help promote longer, deeper sleep.
Apples are a good source of potassium and vitamin B6 which both aid in sleep. In addition, apples are a great source of vitamin C with about 10 mg per large apple. Vitamin C helps you sleep better because it helps manage your blood sugar, lower blood pressure and even improve your breathing.
The bottom line. Eating bananas before bed may help you get a good night's sleep. Bananas are rich in magnesium, potassium, tryptophan, vitamin B6, carbs, and fiber, all of which may improve sleep quality via different mechanisms.
According to Ayurveda, eating banana at night is not unsafe, but one should avoid eating it at night because it aggravates cough and cold. It takes a long time to digest and make you feel lazy too.
Banana health benefits far outweigh those of the apple. That's because they have many more vitamins and nutrients than their round counterparts. Bananas have twice as many carbohydrates, 5 times as much Vitamin A and iron, and 3 times as much phosphorus as apples.
But as per Ayurveda, banana can lead to mucus production and eating this fruit at night can choke your throat. Apart from this, banana is a heavy fruit and our stomach takes a lot of time to digest it. This is because our metabolism is the lowest at night. Eating bananas at night might lead to stomach issues.
Cherries. Cherries and cherry juice contain high levels of melatonin, a hormone in the brain that controls your sleep regulation. One study even shows that drinking tart cherry juice could improve sleep in people who suffer from insomnia.
Heavy Foods
Meals which seem to weigh on your stomach actually take longer to digest. Fatty, cheesy and fried foods can lead to indigestion and keep you up at night. Avoid things like cheeseburgers, fries, fried foods and large steaks late in the day.
Citrus Fruit
The citrus in oranges, clementines, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons and kumquats will cause your stomach to produce excessive amounts of acid that will make it very difficult for you to sleep.
Best: Almonds or Walnuts
“A small handful of nuts will satisfy cravings and hunger while inducing sleepiness,” Kirkpatrick says. That's because nuts like walnuts and almonds offer natural melatonin, protein, and magnesium.
You can consume bananas in the morning along with other breakfast foods. However, you should avoid eating them on an empty stomach. Eating bananas at night should also be avoided if you have cough, cold, or breathing problems.
The natural acids in the fruit increase acid levels in your stomach, causing discomfort. And as your digestion slows down at night, the apple remains in your tummy for longer, giving these acids time to build up.
The average-sized apple, while lower in calories overall than an average-sized banana, actually has approximately five grams more sugar.
Summary. Apples have a lower glycemic index and are lower in calories, carbohydrates, total sugars, and richer in vitamin K. On the other hand, bananas are richer in potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamins C, B6, A, and folate. They have similar amounts of dietary fibers.
Apples, pears and bananas are three fruits that are beneficial when consumed regularly. Packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and healthy dietary fiber, they are good choices any time of day.
“If you are hungry, you should eat something, regardless of the time of day,” says Aimee Takamura, registered dietitian and director of wellness and sustainability at Restaurant Associates. “The act of eating late at night does not affect metabolism or lead to many of the adverse effects you may have heard of.
Apples contain no caffeine but instead have about 13 grams of natural sugar. These sugars provoke a similar response to caffeine because vitamins from the apple are released slowly throughout the body, making you feel more awake. Unlike caffeine, there are no jolts, mood swings, anxiety, jitters or the dreaded crash.