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After a day of cosplaying as a “normal person”, are you ready to go to bed? Want to get to sleep quickly instead of staring up at the ceiling for hours? Dietitians recommend a bedtime snack to help you relax. You likely already have all the ingredients. Tracy Lockwood Beckerman MS, RD makes a compelling case in an episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series You Versus Food that a banana and peanut butter is the best snack to help you sleep.
What a dietitian would like you to know before going to bed:
The food you eat and the time you eat can have an impact on your sleep and digestion. Your body will spend time digesting your food before going to sleep, instead of resting. Beckerman states that elevated glucose levels may keep you awake. However, it depends on your body’s sensitivity. She warns against eating refined sugars and carbohydrates before bed as they can cause digestion problems and poor sleep. After a stressful day, your brain may scream “feed me cookies!” because refined sugars or carbs give you a dopamine rush. It is possible to sleep better by eating a banana with peanutbutter before bed.
These ingredients are not only delicious together, but they also complement each other. Beckerman says that bananas contain potassium and magnesium which helps to relax your muscles. Most of us don’t get enough magnesium. Nut butters are rich in tryptophan. This amino acid is converted into serotonin by the brain and is also a precursor of melatonin. When eaten together, carbs in the banana will make tryptophan available to the brain. This can increase sleep. She says that this treat can be a great sleep aid.
Peanut butter is not just a snack that helps you sleep better:
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