Though going to bed hungry can help with sleep and weight loss, lack of access to food can actually increase your risk of obesity, asthma, and other health problems.
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.
It turns out that people who eat before bed are more likely to gain weight simply because a bedtime snack is an extra meal and, therefore, extra calories. Not only that, but the evening is the time of day when some tend to feel the hungriest.
“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.
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.
Total sleep time and sleep efficiency were significantly increased (13.4% and 5.41%, respectively). Kiwifruit consumption may improve sleep onset, duration, and efficiency in adults with self-reported sleep disturbances. Further investigation of the sleep-promoting properties of kiwifruit may be warranted.
Bananas are rich in magnesium and have been found to significantly increase melatonin. They're also a good source of carbohydrates to fill you up, making this peel-and-eat snack another easy food to enjoy before bed.
There's nothing wrong with wearing a bra while you sleep if that's what you're comfortable with. Sleeping in a bra will not make a girl's breasts perkier or prevent them from getting saggy. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer.
Nope, you should allow more time. Experts recommend waiting at least three hours after you've eaten to go to bed. This allows your body time to digest your food so you're not up at night with an upset stomach, indigestion, or acid reflux.
Avoid eating a lot of unhealthy foods: Ideally, you should avoid consuming foods that are high in salt, refined sugar, and saturated fat. In short, do not skip dinner and let your stomach empty before going to bed, instead you can eat some healthy foods to help your body feel more comfortable and sleep easier.
As the above snack ideas suggest, fruits, vegetables, yogurt, nuts, and hummus are all healthy late-night snack options. Due to their high nutritional value, whether that be through protein, vitamins, or probiotics, these snacks will certainly support a good night's rest.
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.
Chamomile and valerian are popular teas that people drink before bed, but other substances may also help. These include almond milk and cherry juice. Although some drinks contain tryptophan or melatonin, which are known to improve sleep, researchers are unclear about how other drinks help people fall asleep.