All the stressful days, and our constant dependency and fascination with technology can sometimes create a difficult environment for getting a quality amount of sleep. At this point, many folks will simply reach for their trusted prescription sleep aid or grab a “Tylenol PM”, to try and knock themselves out for the night. But I find that eating a light snack about an hour before bedtime can be really helpful with preparing the body to sleep.

The key word here— of course, is a “light” snack. This small meal should consist mostly of carbohydrates and something called “tryptophans”. Tryptophans are an “essential amino acid” of the human body which means that we can’t produce it on our own; it must be part of our diet. As such, it acts as  building blocks for “protein biosynthesis”, and is found very plentiful in certain foods like turkey, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, fish, sesame, chickpeas, corn, chocolate, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, walnuts, peanuts, etc.

SLEEP AID SNACK

So your “sleep aid snack” should have a little of both carbs and tryptophan from proteins, because both of these ingredients can boost your serotonin levels—which naturally helps the body sleep. An example of this might be a “high-grain cereal” or even oatmeal with some milk and walnuts would qualify as having both combinations of the aforementioned ingredients. I’ve actually stripped traditional milk from my husband’s and my own diet as well, so we prefer to eat a bowl of Kashi – Go Lean Crunch cereal with rice milk added. I like this brand because it contains no high-fructose corn syrup, and it’s a naturally sweetened, multi-grain cluster cereal with 9 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per serving. If you are not the typical “cereal and milk” person—then try eating some delicious natural Greek yogurt which is about half carbs and half proteins combined. Just remember that eating cereal everyday is not to be substituted for whole foods that are not served in a box. 

Adding some bananas or putting bananas on some peanut butter and warm toast is another alternative because they contain tryptophan, melatonin, magnesium, and serotonin—which all combine to act as natural nerve and muscle relaxants. And finally, just for those who may not be the “cold food” snack types—you can even try a little bit of warmed up hummus with some pita, for a warm snack that has the same components of protein and carbohydrates according to The Daily Meal.

LAVENDER

Lavender is a therapeutic and natural relaxant, and has been used to treat a variety of complaints including various issues related to sleep difficulties.  In fact—it is one of the best natural remedies for calming your nerves and easing you into a sound sleep. I create customized herbal liquid tinctures with different ingredients in small bottles for internal use with clients who suffer from problems of relaxation or sleep deprivation—but I always recommend some lavender aromatherapy as an added environmental treatment as well. You can prepare for a blissful nights sleep by adding in a few drops of lavender essential oil into a deep, warm bath. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil on your sheets or place a small bag of crushed lavender flowers under the pillow to help you drift off to sleep. To relieve certain conditions that could inhibit restful sleep patterns like stress, anxiety or headaches—dab your “pulse points” such as your temples and wrist with a couple of drops of lavender oil.

….Stay BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY