Here are sleep-promoting bedtime snacks you can nibble on an hour before you hit the hay:
Banana and nuts. Have half of a banana with a handful of your favorite nuts. “You’re getting tryptophan and carbs,” says Freedman. “It’s a great mix.”
Crackers and peanut butter. Get a few whole wheat crackers and spread on some all-natural peanut butter for a mix of complex carbs and protein with tryptophan.
A bowl of cereal. The milk contains tryptophan and the whole-grain cereal adds the complementary complex carbs. Just be sure to ditch the Captain Crunch—avoiding sugar helps prevent a sleep-disruptive blood sugar crash during the night.
Cheese stick. Munching on a low-fat cheese stick before bed supplies tryptophan. Plus, a lean protein can leave you calm and less frazzled while keeping your blood sugar on an even keel during the night, according to Kirkpatrick.
Just be sure to eat dinner at least three hours before bedtime and have a snooze-inducing snack about an hour before you climb under the sheets. You don’t want to go to bed full or completely hungry—both can disrupt your sleep. Instead, try to find a happy medium and you may just get a more blissful slumber.
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