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Tart cherry juice. A study by the University of Rochester, in New York, found that older adults drinking two, eight-ounce servings


of tart red cherry juice daily, one in the morning and one at night for two weeks, enjoyed moder- ate sleep improvement, comparable to taking the herb valerian and melatonin.


4


Fish. Salmon, halibut, mackerel and tuna help boost the production of vitamin B6


Research found that men that ate two bananas at a time for a week had a rise in melatonin that reached a peak two hours later; pineapple juice and orange juice also raised those levels.


8 , which


helps make melatonin. A recent study from the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania published in Scientific Reports found that eating more fish led both to better sleep and improved cognitive function in children.


Fiber-rich foods. Choices such as chia seeds, nuts and whole grains help promote restorative


“slow-wave” sleep, according to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.


fornia, and author of Te Baby Sleep Book: Te Complete Guide to a Good Night’s Rest for the Whole Family, “Calcium helps the brain use the amino acid tryptophan to manufacture the sleep-inducing substance melatonin. Tis explains


6 7


why dairy products, which contain both tryptophan and calcium, are some of the top sleep-inducing foods.”


Bananas. Rich in potassium, magnesium, tryptophan and vitamin B6


, which are used


to make melatonin, bananas help promote good sleep. A study in the Journal of Pineal


Calcium-fortified yogurt. According to Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician in Pasadena, Cali-


Walnuts. Eating a handful of walnuts an hour before bedtime provides fiber-


supporting, restorative, slow-wave sleep, concluded a study in the journal Nutrition. Plus, walnuts are a good source of tryp- tophan, which helps make serotonin and melatonin; University of Texas research- ers also found that walnuts contain their own source of melatonin.


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Dark leafy greens. Kale, spinach and collard greens are among the magnesium-


rich greens that can help us de-stress and go to sleep, says Dr. Raj Das- gupta, a professor of pulmonary and sleep medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.


a London sleep therapist and author of Fast Asleep but Wide Wake: Discover the Secrets of Restorative Sleep and Vibrant Energy, counsels her clients to start at breakfast by eating eight almonds and two dates. Tese two fiber-rich foods are able to slowly help produce melatonin for later in the day.


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Judith Fertig writes cookbooks and foodie fiction from Overland Park, KS (JudithFertig.com).


Almonds and dates. Nerina Ramlakhan, Ph.D.,


June 2018


19


Shutterstock.com


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