New Year, new sleep pattern – am I right?
If you’re hoping to give your sleep routine an overhaul this year, you might want to reconsider what you eat in the run up to bedtime.
While chocolate, alcohol and fatty foods are likely to disrupt your sleep – or, at the very least, affect your ability to drift off – there are some foods that could help you snooze better.
But now, according to experts from The Sleep Foundation, magnesium – a mineral found in a whole host of foods – can help you stack those Zs for longer, while improving the quality of your sleep and helping you feel less tired in the morning.
And guess which popular healthy snack is chock-full of magnesium? Nuts.
Eat nuts for a better night’s sleep
Nuts such as almonds, walnuts and pistachios are best to munch on before bedtime if you want to improve your shut-eye.
This is because they contain melatonin as well as magnesium and zinc, dietitian Sylvia Melendez-Klinger, a registered dietitian, told AARP.
It’s not quite clear how magnesium impacts sleep, but experts believe it helps to relax muscles, increase the sleep hormone melatonin, and reduce the stress hormone cortisol.
How much should you eat?
The beautiful thing about nuts is that you can eat them straight out of the packet without any preparation needed.
Try a handful of nuts (about 20-25 almonds, for example) or, if you prefer, spread some nut butter on a rice cake or cracker before bed.
It’s best to avoid salted or sugar-coated nuts as these can disrupt sleep by dehydrating the body and contributing to fatigue.
Happy snoozing!