Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These foods are very easy to digest which makes them perfect for snacking before bed. Bananas in particular help you fall asleep since they are filled with potassium and magnesium, and these both double-up as natural muscle relaxants.
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.
According to Lauren Popeck, RD, a dietitian at Orlando Health, Greek yogurt is perfect for bedtime, because it contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan. And because it's such a rich source of protein, Greek yogurt can also help you avoid that same glucose spike.
“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.
No, you shouldn't eat before bed, says Supan, and one reason is because of the way your body functions. “When you eat late at night, you're going against your body's circadian rhythm,” she says. It's all about the way your body adjusts its insulin sensitivity. Your body is more sensitive in the morning on purpose.
The best time to eat dinner is 3 hours before bedtime, allowing the stomach to properly digest and focus on preparing for sleep when bedtime rolls around the corner. Eating small amounts of foods like complex carbs, fruits, veggies, or a small amount of protein will satiate hunger pains and help you fall asleep faster.
Sugar and refined carbohydrates: Sugary snacks and refined carbs such as white bread and pasta will cause your blood sugar to spike. This can give you a rush of energy, which is bad when you're trying to fall to sleep.
… Your two best friends for a restful night. 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.
Carbohydrate-rich foods like toast trigger insulin production. This induces sleep by speeding up the release of tryptophan, a chemical that helps to relax the body and send it off to sleep. Like toast, milk releases serotonin, another great body relaxer.
How Long Before Bed Should You Stop Eating? While estimates vary, most experts recommend eating a meal two to four hours before bedtime. People who eat meals well ahead of bedtime have enough time to properly digest their food.
Eggs and fish are higher melatonin-containing food groups in animal foods, whereas in plant foods, nuts are with the highest content of melatonin. Some kinds of mushrooms, cereals and germinated legumes or seeds are also good dietary sources of melatonin.
Best for better sleep:
An ounce of cheese and a few whole-grain crackers is an excellent choice for a pre-bed nosh. The calcium in cheese helps your body use the tryptophan that's naturally found in dairy to make melatonin, a hormone produced in a tiny gland in the middle of your brain.
Raw and unfiltered honey can hydrate your skin, soothe your throat, help heal wounds and sweeten everything it touches, but it can also help you get a sweet night's sleep. Raw honey, eaten just before bed, helps you snooze in two general ways: It provides easy-to-access fuel for your brain throughout the night.
Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt is a great late night snack that works to promote sleep, but also has many other health benefits. It's packed with important nutrients, such as calcium, B-12, and potassium. In addition, it is also full of probiotics; which are 'good bacteria' that boost digestive health.