The overlooked secret to a good night’s sleep that could already be in your kitchen

  • Eating bananas can help shorten the time it takes for insomniacs to fall asleep
  • A milk drink could also help reduce the time patients spend awake
  • Experts believe that one in three people in the UK have symptoms of insomnia

Forget the sleeping pills, earplugs or plumped pillows. The real secret to a good night’s sleep could be a banana milkshake before bed, a study has found.

Researchers found that people who had trouble falling asleep fell asleep faster and slept longer when they treated themselves to the two foods last thing in the evening.

Eating a banana reduced the time it took insomniacs to fall asleep from an average of two hours to 36 minutes.

It also helped them sleep almost an hour longer than normal.

A milk drink reduced the time the volunteers were awake from more than two hours to just over one hour.

Suffering from insomnia? The real secret to a good night’s sleep could be a banana milkshake before bed, according to a new study

Researchers found that people who had trouble falling asleep fell asleep faster and slept longer if they gave themselves milk and bananas last thing in the evening

The sleep duration of milk drinkers also increased.

One in three adults in the UK suffer from insomnia. The UK economy is estimated to lose around £34 billion a year due to the effects of chronic insomnia.

The study, published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed 21 patients with insomnia. Just over half ate a whole banana and a small cup of milk every night for six weeks, while the other half simply tried to fall asleep.

Scientists believe the secret is that both bananas and milk are rich sources of tryptophan, a chemical vital to numerous bodily functions, including sleep.

Once tryptophan is present in the body, it is converted into a sleep-promoting hormone called melatonin.

In a report on the findings, researchers from the Istanbul University of Health Sciences, Turkey, wrote: ‘Foods high in tryptophan, such as bananas and milk, may improve sleep disorders when consumed before bedtime.

“Both drugs are known to induce sleep.”

HOW TO DEAL WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS

Poor sleep can lead to worry and worry can lead to poor sleep, according to the mental health charity Mind.

Lack of sleep is considered a problem if it impacts a person’s daily life.

They may feel anxious if they feel that they cannot rationalize their thoughts due to lack of sleep.

Insomnia has also been linked to depression, psychosis, and PTSD.

Creating a sleep routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day can help you spend less time in bed and more time sleeping.

Soothing music, breathing exercises, visualizing pleasant memories, and meditation also promote sleep.

Not using technology an hour before bedtime can also help prepare you for sleep.

If you still have trouble falling asleep, you may want to keep a sleep diary where you record the hours you sleep and the quality of your sleep on a scale of one to five. This may be a good idea to show to your doctor.

Also pay attention to how often you wake up during the night, whether you need to take a nap, whether you have nightmares, what you eat, and your general mood.

Sleep problems can be a sign of an underlying physical condition, such as pain.

Talk therapies can help you recognize unhelpful thinking patterns that may be affecting your sleep.

Medications, such as sleeping pills, can help break short periods of insomnia and help you get back into better sleep patterns.

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