Tart cherry juice with chia seeds<\/p>\n
Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin; adding chia seeds supplies fiber and plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Stir the seeds into the juice, and let them fully hydrate before drinking. \u201cSmall studies suggest tart cherry juice may improve sleep duration and efficiency,\u201d says Dr. Mehta, though \u201cportions should remain modest, particularly for people with diabetes or insulin resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warm nutmeg milk<\/p>\n
Milk delivers tryptophan and calcium, while nutmeg adds a warm, aromatic note. Kumar cautions against using too much of the spice: \u201cKeep it to a pinch\u2014larger doses aren\u2019t safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pumpkin seeds with banana<\/p>\n
Kumar describes pumpkin seeds as \u201cone of the richest natural sources of both magnesium and tryptophan.\u201d A banana rounds out the combination with potassium and carbohydrates.<\/p>\n
Greek yogurt with honey<\/p>\n
Greek yogurt offers protein that digests relatively slowly, while a small drizzle of honey adds sweetness.<\/p>\n
Almond butter on sourdough<\/p>\n
Almond butter adds healthy fats and protein. Spread it on whole-grain sourdough for extra fiber. Sourdough fermentation may also make the bread easier for some people to digest.<\/p>\n
Kiwi<\/p>\n
Light and easy to eat, kiwi contains serotonin, and preliminary research suggests it may help people fall asleep faster. \u201cSmall clinical studies have reported improvements in sleep onset, duration, and efficiency, although the evidence remains limited,\u201d Dr. Mehta says.<\/p>\n
Chamomile oat porridge<\/p>\n
Oats provide complex carbohydrates and some tryptophan. Chamomile also contains apigenin, a plant compound researchers are studying for its potential calming effects.<\/p>\n
Walnuts<\/p>\n
Walnuts naturally contain melatonin, plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, and tryptophan. They are calorie dense, so \u201ca small handful is sufficient,\u201d says Dr. Mehta.<\/p>\n
Getting the portion (and the timing) right<\/p>\n
For those who are hungry before bed, Kumar suggests a modest snack of roughly 150 to 200 calories, ideally combining some protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates. He recommends finishing it 60 to 90 minutes before bedtime and steering clear of caffeine and alcohol; the latter \u201cmay make you drowsy, but it disrupts deep sleep later in the night.\u201d Dr. Mehta agrees: \u201cIf genuinely hungry, a small snack one to two hours before bedtime is reasonable, rather than eating immediately before lying down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caution is warranted too. Dr. Mehta advises anyone with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to \u201cideally leave two to three hours between eating and lying down,\u201d while those managing insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes should time and portion their intake individually, and people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) should be mindful of fruits that trigger their symptoms, particularly those high in fermentable carbohydrates. He stresses that persistent sleep problems \u201cshould not simply be managed with food.\u201d<\/p>\n
The takeaway? There\u2019s no need to fear a bedtime snack. What matters is what\u2014and how much\u2014you eat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tart cherry juice with chia seeds Tart cherry juice is a natural source of melatonin; adding chia seeds…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":936020,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[64,63,8410,137,532,1543,4016,18145,537],"class_list":["post-936019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-gut-health","tag-health","tag-nutrition","tag-protein","tag-sleep","tag-snacks","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=936019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/936020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=936019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=936019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=936019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}