One of the best ways to control your body is to control what you put into it. And you are lucky to live in an age where people are starting to worry about the quality of our fuel: whether it’s the vegan trend or the growing public interest in organic foods, it is becoming easier and easier to control what we eat... and especially, to understand how to fall asleep quickly thanks to food.
Foods that make you sleep contain tryptophan, an amino acid that, combined with carbohydrates, encourages the body to produce serotonin. Serotonin in turn synthesizes melatonin, the sleep hormone.
To sleep well, you need to eat things that contain either tryptophan and carbohydrates, or directly melatonin! The downside is that tryptophan is the rarest amino acid. It is found in very small amounts in protein foods (meat, eggs, fish, dairy products, starches, legumes, and dried fruits), but it is very fragile... and if cooked too long, it is destroyed by heat.
What to eat to sleep?
- Fish (swimming in tryptophan)
A good cod brandade, with potatoes and parsley, is the ideal dish to fall asleep immediately with a good dose of tryptophan and slow sugars. Among good ideas, also consider creamy cod (which has milk, so more tryptophan). If you really don’t like cod, try squid, sturgeon, or tuna.
Fish eggs are very good – but we guess you don’t always have caviar on hand. Hard-boiled eggs are also very good: the white of the hard-boiled egg contains tryptophan, but it also contains vitamin D, which increases the amount of serotonin in the brain. A little bonus: eggs put you in a good mood.
- All-purpose pasta
The classic cheese pasta may have helped you during your long student nights, but they are not done helping you. Pasta has the advantage of being a solid plate of carbohydrates and slow sugars, and pairs with anything: in this case, sprinkle them with pumpkin seeds, yellow mustard seeds, soy, flax, sesame, or squash seeds and with parmesan, gruyere, grated emmental, or goat cheese (seeds and cheese and other dairy products also contain a lot of tryptophan).
If you have eaten too much pasta or noodles in your life, eat legumes and whole grains: quinoa, oat flakes, whole rice and bread, lentils, barley, bulgur, millet, popcorn, semolina, buckwheat, beans, and chickpeas... the choice is not lacking!
- Meats, not essential
If you have beef salami in the fridge, that’s a sure bet: it’s the universal winner in tryptophan content with 0.9 g per 100g of salami. Not into salami? No problem, because most meats will do, but try first wild boar, rabbit, and veal, which have slightly more tryptophan than others. In any case, we encourage you to consume it in moderation; at Livlab we limit its consumption for ethical and well-being reasons.
- Fruits & nuts
The fruits with the most tryptophan are banana, dates, mango, and coconut. For nuts, you can let them flow as oils over your salads, or add them as they are (notably almonds and cashews, pecans and walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds).
- Chocolate!
One or two squares of dark chocolate only (minimum 70%) is great to help your serotonin production. The sugar in chocolate triggers insulin production, which pushes all amino acids to the muscles... except tryptophan. With a direct line of sight to the brain and nothing to stop it, you increase your chances of having maximum serotonin.
Be careful not to take more than that, because dark chocolate contains caffeine which could increase your heart rate. It is therefore preferable to take it early in the day.
- Drinks
Herbal teas are a good way to prepare for sleep: relax with valerian, passionflower, verbena, hawthorn flower, lemon balm, chamomile, and linden, all of which have soothing properties ranging from sleep induction to anti-stress.
Use mineral-rich water, which contains magnesium and vitamin B6, and which contribute with carbohydrates to making serotonin.
If you want to drink something a bit more substantial, a glass of warm milk can also provide an extra dose of tryptophan... otherwise, try sour cherry juice! It directly contains melatonin.
Things to avoid
- Fatty and spicy food takes too long to digest and can cause digestive problems. Chili, pepper, paprika, cumin, and other "hot" spices raise body temperature, which is counterproductive when you know the body cools down to fall asleep.
- Proteins have tryptophan, but everything is better in moderation. Too much protein creates an excess of tyrosine, which produces dopamine, a stimulant.
- A little cheese on pasta is good, but excess dairy products, especially cow’s milk, stimulate mucus production in the throat, which can slightly clog the airways. That’s why dairy products should be avoided when you have a sore throat, for example, or suffer from allergies.
- At lunch: you can afford to load up on proteins because you have time to digest them, with small portions of slow sugars. Avoid fast sugars.
- At dinner: dine 2 to 3 hours before bedtime and favor more slow sugars and less protein. Above all, skip decaffeinated drinks: they are not entirely decaffeinated, although they contain 10 times less caffeine than caffeinated drinks. Caffeine blocks the effectiveness of melatonin.
- Do not drink alcohol (it metabolizes quickly and you will be dehydrated), nor energy drinks.
- Skip eggplants. They contain nicotine, which is a stimulant!
- Finally, do not take dairy products if you are lactose intolerant (obviously), but also if you fear bloating or gastric acidity!
Now that you know what to eat, you are ready to go to bed! X)
On the same topic:
To sleep well, start by having a positive attitude!
Exercise tires you out, perfect for sleeping well!
