A bowl of unsweetened cereal (e.g. rice puffs,
Cereal. As any cereal lover will tell you, it's not just for mornings. In fact, getting stuck in a bowl before bed can help you fall asleep at night. Cereals that are made from corn, oats, wheat, rice and barley all contain melatonin and tryptophan, which we've seen before, relax the body and aid the onset of sleep.
It provides an excellent breakfast and an ideal snack any time of the day, including bedtime. However, balance is the key, and you can have too much of a good thing. Weetabix is fortified with certain vitamins and minerals and if eaten to excess, then you could be taking in too much of these nutrients.
“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.
Tryptophan triggers the brain's sleep process: Tryptophan is an amino acid known to promote sleep. View Source within the brain. Turkey contains high levels of tryptophan, so it is famously blamed for sleepiness after Thanksgiving dinner. Other foods with tryptophan include milk, bananas, oats, and chocolate.
Cereals like corn flakes, crisp rice, granola, and raisin bran can be a great comfort to your stomach, and a great protein source. Warm cereal alternatives like oatmeal, cream of wheat, and quinoa are perfect food soothers for sleepy time.
Cereal might be something you'd be more likely to eat in the morning than before bed, but there's nothing wrong with eating cereal at night, provided it fits in with your diet as a whole. The idea that it's bad to eat carb-dense foods -- like cereal -- before bed is false.
Porridge is our top choice for a heart healthy breakfast – when it is made with low-fat milk or water and unsweetened. All porridge oats are wholegrains and they all contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help lower your cholesterol level if you have 3g or more of it daily, as part of a healthy diet.
Sweet Dreams, Post's latest new cereal, is designed to help you sleep at night. Post Consumer Brands. The company behind Grape Nuts has a new cereal designed to be eaten before bed. Post's "Sweet Dreams" is designed to stoke your body's melatonin production.
A new study says milk and cereal in the morning can help avoid overeating the rest of the day. A new study says milk when consumed with breakfast cereal may provide benefits for those managing diabetes. A well-balanced breakfast of carbohydrates, protein and fats is considered key to starting the day.
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.
Complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, non-starchy vegetables (carrots, asparagus, pea pods, bean sprouts), popcorn and fruit. These foods break down slowly, and helps stave off the blood sugar spikes or crashes that could interfere with a person's sleep or appetite, according to the article.
What's the best time to stop eating before bed? It's best to stop eating about three hours before going to bed. That allows plenty of time for your body to digest the last food you ate so it won't disrupt your sleep, but leaves a small enough window before sleep that you won't go to bed feeling hungry.
Snacks for Sleepiness
Certain nutrients and hormones help promote sleep. Tryptophan, found in turkey and fish, promotes serotonin production. Melatonin (found in dairy and cherries) makes you sleepy, potassium (found in bananas) and magnesium (also found in bananas and almonds) help promote muscle relaxation.
Milk (and other dairy products) are a really good source of tryptophan. It's an amino acid that can help promote sleep, so it can come in particularly handy especially if you're used to tossing and turning before finally getting off to sleep.
Don't Go to Bed Hungry
While we encourage you to avoid late-night snacking, we also discourage you from going to bed while hungry. Your body constantly needs energy to function, even during sleep. Going to bed without a last meal means your body has less energy to rejuvenate and repair itself.
Habitually snacking at night could be a sign that you're not getting enough sleep, are overstressed, or that you're undereating during the day. It could also indicate an underlying health condition, like an eating disorder.
So when exactly should you stop eating at night? Scientists can't agree on a single set time, but the consensus seems to be within three hours before bedtime. So if you go to bed at 11 p.m., don't eat after 8 p.m.