AllMilitary.com

I seem to talk about stress and insomnia a lot on this blog! I guess that I feel the two feed off of one another. The stress of family life, compounded by the stress of military life, compounded by the stress of deployment equals sleepless nights — which in turn cause more stress, which in turn… well, you get the picture. If you are a military wife, you live the picture!

I came across this article and wanted to pass it along here since the crux of the content is focusing on foods that trigger the natural sleep “drug” your brain produces, serotonin. The following list are high-carb, but not overly filling. Also, if you are thinking of grabbing the turkey sandwich, think again. It does not have enough tryptophan in it to knock you out. If you want a turkey sandwich eat it for the health and taste of it… not for it’s ability to put you to sleep.

Here’s the list of sleep inducing foods (eat one hour before bed time) Taken from Article.

Half of a whole-wheat English muffin or raisin bagel drizzled with honey

Two cups of air-popped popcorn

A small slice of angel food cake topped with berries

A frozen whole-wheat waffle, toasted, with maple syrup

Half a cup of pretzels

Fresh strawberries dunked in a little fat-free chocolate syrup

Half a cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce

A 4-ounce baked potato topped with salsa

A handful of oyster crackers and a piece of fruit

Canned mandarin oranges sprinkled with crystallized ginger

The benefits of sleep go well beyond good moods and lots of energy. Getting six to eight hours of sleep a night can make your Real Age as much as three years younger.