11+ foods that are beneficial for getting a full night's rest

There is no miracle cure for sleeplessness and no food that can immediately knock out a person, but there are foods that assist with the body's own hormone and chemical productions needed for sleep onset. Difficulty sleeping also can be because of vitamin deficiencies, stress levels and a number of other issues.
It's important to identify what the body lacks and how much the body needs as each person is different. Never take vitamin supplements without first talking to a qualified doctor.
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1. Tea
Chamomile tea contains apigenin, a chemical that affects certain receptors in the brain responsible for making a person sleepy. Lavender tea not only helps with relaxation, but it can also lower anxiety. There are many teas, such as green tea, promoted as helping with insomnia, but check with a doctor before making a tea part of a bedtime routine as some teas contain caffeine or may adversely interact with medications.
2. Warm milk
Milk (warm or not) contains tryptophan, which can make a person feel sleepy. However, it does not contain a lot, so the physical result of feeling sleepy only may work for those with low tryptophan levels. Warm milk is more effective in promoting sleep as a psychological reaction because drinking it may make a person think back to childhood when a parent gave him or her milk before bed.
3. Bowl of whole-grain cereal
Although milk contains a low level of tryptophan, the carbohydrates in the cereal work with that to help the body absorb more of the tryptophan. Carbohydrates themselves also can make a person feel tired.
4. Turkey sandwich
Like a bowl of cereal, the carbs in bread help activate the tryptophan in turkey. Don't eat an entire foot-long sub before bed, but half a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread an hour prior is enough to be effective.
5. Cherries
Cherries are one of the few food sources of natural melatonin, a hormone the body secretes when light is low and it is time for bed. Drink a glass of tart cherry juice an hour before bed.
6. Lentils
Lentils are high in magnesium and potassium, both of which assist in a good night's rest. Too much magnesium, however, may interfere with some medications, so consult a doctor to determine how much is safe to ingest.
7. Bananas
Bananas contain a trifecta of sleep-inducers: tryptophan, magnesium and potassium.
8. Almonds
Almonds are high in magnesium. Almond milk is readily available in grocery stores, so if you want to go the warm-milk route, consider almond milk as an alternative. If you don't like the crunch of nuts, try eating a tablespoon of almond butter.
9. Peanut butter
Peanut butter and crackers are an easy snack to whip up. Peanut butter contains tryptophan whereas crackers harbor carbs to help aid with tryptophan absorption.
10. Pineapple
Certain fruits boost the body's melatonin level, and pineapple is high on the list. Bananas and oranges also increase the hormone level but significantly less than pineapple.
11. Cheese and crackers
More tryptophan, anyone? Per gram, cheddar cheese contains as much of the amino acid as a gram of turkey, notes the AARP. Add in the cracker carbs and you are good to go to sleep.
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Resources freestocks.org and AARP
RemedyDaily.com does not give medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.