Sleep is a crucial aspect of enjoying healthy and satisfying senior living. Sleeping fewer than seven hours every night raises the chance of developing health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. Having enough sleep improves the immune system, reduces stress, and provides more energy.
Though sleep deprivation is a widespread issue, there are numerous things your loved ones can do to improve sleep. The first step should be to practice appropriate sleep hygiene. Establish a decent nightly schedule, such as having a snack for better sleep, and stick to it. Reduce screen usage an hour before bedtime and remove the TV from the bedroom. After relaxing with a calming pastime, go to bed at a consistent time every night. Regular exercise can also help ease insomnia symptoms and let your loved ones have a better sleep at night.
Here’s a lit of the best snacks for better sleep:
Chamomile Tea
A warm cup of chamomile tea is not only a calming beverage but is also a natural tranquilizer. Chamomile also includes the antioxidant apigenin, which interacts with the brain to alleviate anxiety and induce sleep. This beverage can also increase the amount of glycine in the body. Glycine is a muscle relaxant with modest sedative effects. Make the tea even more helpful by adding a teaspoon of honey, which has natural sugars that aid in the absorption of tryptophan in the brain.
Oats
Because whole oats are a natural supply of melatonin, they make an excellent nighttime snack! While you may find this nourishing grain in varieties of bread and cereal, check the ingredients and avoid refined sugars before night, since they might interfere with your sleep. Many sugary drinks, sauces, canned fruits, morning cereals, and even certain white bread contain this form of sugar.
Cherries
This delectable fruit is also melatonin-rich. Eating raw cherries or drinking cherry juice daily can help to normalize sleep cycles and reduce insomnia.
Poultry
Tryptophan is found in a variety of birds, including turkey. To some extent, every poultry includes this important amino acid. Try duck or rotisserie chicken for dinner to encourage healthy sleep!
Nuts
Nuts provide a range of beneficial elements that can aid with sleep as well as your loved one’s heart. Tryptophan is abundant in walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Almonds also provide magnesium, which helps with your sleep-wake cycle.
Dairy Products
Because several dairy products include tryptophan, milk can be an excellent night drink. Milk also includes calcium, which aids in the digestion of melatonin and tryptophan – a double bonus!
Eggs
A dozen eggs are useful to keep in the refrigerator at all times. They’re not only good sources of cheap protein, but they’re also high in tryptophan!
Whole Grain Bread
Whole grains are available in several delectable varieties at the supermarket and local bakery, assisting your loved one’s body in producing insulin. Insulin frees the blood of competing amino acids, allowing tryptophan to enter the brain and make your loved one feel sleepy.
Chickpeas
Plant-based foods like chickpeas include vitamin B6, which aids in the production of serotonin in the body. This hormone not only makes your loved one feel better but also stimulates the synthesis of new melatonin.
Fish
Seafoods like salmon, tuna, and halibut are high in vitamin B6, which helps the body produce the sleep-inducing chemicals serotonin and melatonin.
