7 tips to improve sleep

Top foods recommended to help you sleep are foods containing tryptophan!

Tryptophan is an amino acid which helps create serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is involved in sleep and mood. Melatonin controls your sleep wake cycle. Your body produces melatonin in response to darkness (so staring at your phone, laptop or TV or sitting in a bright room late at night confuses your brain… it does not know it’s time to go to bed so it does not produce enough melatonin for you!).

So how can you help your brain out? Here are 7 tips!

✅ 1. Eat tryptophan containing foods e.g.
Tart cherries
Pistachios
Bananas
Turkey
Eggs
Oily fish

✅ 2. Increase magnesium-rich foods (e.g. avocado, spinach, almonds) or try a magnesium supplement (fun fact: your body needs magnesium for both energy and relaxation!). Adding magnesium salts to a bath is another great relaxing option! 🛁

✅ 3. Add a probiotic into your routine (research shows the gut microbiome is able to produce tryptophan!)

✅ 4. Take time to relax before bedtime e.g. read or meditate

🛑 5. Limit caffeine

🛑 6. Avoid chocolate before bed (it contains caffeine!)

🛑 7. Avoid bright lights before bed (don’t trick your brain into thinking it’s still daylight and it should be awake)

References:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/food-and-drink-promote-good-nights-sleep
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/magnesium
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tryptophan
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7231603/