Top Ten Foods for a Good Night's Sleep

There isn't a person alive who doesn't know what it's like to go to bed, only to end up tossing and turning, barely nodding off and waking up drowsy and lethargic the next morning. Sleep troubles start in the bedroom, but they can be stopped in the kitchen. In fact, a number of items in your kitchen right now are tasty, healthy and able to speed your body and mind to Never Land before you know it.

Warm Milk and Honey

• Your grandmother's recipe for sleep is still one of the best, but with a new twist. Milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that coaxes the brain into a restful state. Warm milk will keep your nerves from being refreshed by the cold sensation, and a little drizzle of honey helps quell alertness.

Almonds

• A handful of lightly-salted almonds can do wonders for a good night's sleep. Like most of the bedtime foods, they contain tryptophan, but they also have magnesium, which can help relax your muscles.

Oatmeal

• Oatmeal contains melatonin, which is like a sedative to your system. A good helping before bed (especially when made with milk) and you'll be counting sheep soon.

Bananas

• Quick, cheap and loaded with melatonin and magnesium, bananas are a good snack to eat before you hit the hay. They also go well with oatmeal.

Chamomile Tea

• Another old standby from your grandmother's medicine cabinet, chamomile tea actually contains a mild sedative, and has been used for medicinal purposes since its invention.

Potatoes

• Baked potatoes contain tryptophan as well, and can be very helpful in aiding sleep. However, it's important to avoid over-salting or adding fattening butter or gravy to this late of a meal, as you may end up trading sleep for unwanted pounds.

Whole Wheat Bread

• As simple as it gets, a slice or two of whole wheat bread is a perfect follow-up to any of these other tryptophan-rich foods, as it aids in the body's absorption of the amino acids.

Yogurt

• Yogurt, like milk, also contains tryptophan and magnesium to help see you off to a relaxing night of sleep.

Turkey

• Thanks to this list, you now know why Thanksgiving dinner is like a tranquilizer dart. Turkey is loaded with tryptophan. Mix that with potatoes, whole-wheat bread and some heavy gravy and you have a turkey day recipe for sweet dreams.

Valerian Root

• For those who aren't looking to fiddle around with their sleep problems, Valerian root is available in a number of forms: liquid, powder and tea. Valerian root goes back a lot further than your grandmother, and it has been a reliable sedative and anti-anxiety treatment for centuries.