Everyone has had a moment where they’ve either stayed up late and got hungry or woke up to a growling stomach. While getting a midnight snack may seem like a good idea, some people avoid it because they’re afraid it’ll keep them up all hours of the night.
The truth is, certain foods do keep people up late at night. These foods are considered stimulants. These foods are known to keep people up at night. Even if someone doesn’t consume stimulants, the release of hormones to counter increased blood sugar during a meal triggers a wakeful feeling, making it hard to sleep.
For people looking to pencil in that late night snack, here’s a list of foods that satisfy cravings and still allow them to catch some necessary z’s. Ideally be sure to consume these foods an hour before going to sleep for optimal results.
Oftentimes, people consume food before bed because they’re bored. One way to determine if it’s hunger or boredom is the apple test. The apple test asks whether or not the alleged hungry person is willing to eat an apple. If the answer is yes, it is genuine hunger.
Apples are a beneficial late-night snack because they are healthy and help the person eating one fall asleep. If an apple alone isn’t filling enough, consider adding some peanut butter. Not only does peanut butter increase protein intake, it also contains omegas, which increase serotonin levels.
One of the best late-night snacks are bananas. For one, they don’t take any preparation. They’re also portable, convenient, and healthy. Most importantly, they help relax the muscles and get a good night’s rest.
Bananas contain tryptophan, which is an amino acid that encourages sleep. When consumed, tryptophan converts proteins to serotonin and melatonin, which directly impacts the sleep cycle. Therefore, consuming bananas before trying to go to bed helps people regulate their circadian rhythms.
When movies show someone sleepwalking to the kitchen to make a sandwich, it isn’t a coincidence. In fact, some health experts recommend eating a turkey and cheese sandwich before bed. The benefits of eating a sandwich before bed are two-fold. On one hand, they’re filling. On the other hand, both turkey and cheese contain tryptophan, so the likelihood of falling asleep drastically increases.
Another benefit of turkey and cheese sandwiches are they provide a good amount of protein. This allows the midnight snacker to eat more without putting on a large amount of weight. For some extra omegas and magnesium, which are known to improve sleep quality, slap on a slice of avocado or two.
Anyone who enjoys a nice bowl of fresh fruit should highly consider eating cherries before bed. Cherries are one of the only foods that naturally contain melatonin, which impacts the sleep cycles. Dried cherries as well as sugar-free cherry juice produce similar results, so be sure to stock up to quickly remedy a sleepless night. Cherries also have a high antioxidant content, which is great for cell damage repair. Another tasty way to get some quality sleep is to combine almonds and cherries. Almonds contain both protein and magnesium, which naturally relaxes the muscles for a better rest. Since the body repairs itself during rest periods, this salty and sweet combination expedites the healing process.
Because stomachs don't turn off when someone's ready to go to bed, there's nothing wrong with heading down to the kitchen for a midnight snack. By consuming any of the foods mentioned in this article, people who have trouble sleeping can both fulfill their cravings and improve the quality of their sleep without gaining tons of weight.
