There are a number of health blogs and articles about improving sleep quality, getting more shut-eye, and finding faster ways to fall into a sleepy slumber. Many of these are sort of engrained knowledge: take a bath, drink some tea, make a routine.
Sure, turning your electronic devices off sooner will help you sleep and, yes, going to bed and waking up at similar times every day will help your body get into a groove, but the real solution to better sleep is hormonal.
Internal Horologist
Melatonin is a chemical substance found in plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. In humans, melatonin is produced in the pineal gland, a small part of the brain. Your body anticipates sleep times and wake times, and creates melatonin based on this need.
Your body acts like a clock and a melatonin-production plant. It makes more or less melatonin based on time-of-day: the largest melatonin release is at the end of the day. Your body decides how much melatonin it needs and produces much of it in the late-afternoon to early-evening; melatonin production is at its peak throughout the night and starts to dwindle in the morning.
Set Your Clock
A few years ago I had a lot of trouble sleeping. My sleep-schedule was all over the map, and falling asleep at the appropriate time was really tough. I had tricked my body not to sleep during the night, which is when it usually starts producing melatonin.
Melatonin production is so attuned to the onset of the night that it starts earlier in winter months, leading to winter depression, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Not getting appropriate amounts of sleep can make you sad too, so I’ve got a few melatonin-inducing tricks.
Melatonin is important for more than just sleep. It also plays a role in regulating reproductive hormones including menstruation and menopause. The trouble is melatonin production can change very easily – time change, jet lag, shift work, and even poor vision all affect this hormone’s production, which is highest in young people and decreases as we age.
Natural Melatonin Aids
Supplements can help if you have an occasional bout of insomnia, but in my experience they don’t work very well – if at all. Instead of synthetic ingredients encapsulated in a lab somewhere, why not look at your diet instead.
Researchers with Thailand’s Khon Kaen University found some tropical fruits increase melatonin production. Bananas increases the amounts of melatonin going through subjects’ bodies by 180%; pineapples increased melatonin production by 266%.
The 8 Foods That Naturally Increase Melatonin Production
- Pineapples
- Bananas
- Oats
- Sweet corn
- Rice
- Tomatoes
- Barley
A Smooth Sleep
It looks like the best sleep inducer might be an orange-pineapple-banana smoothie. Although there is also a lot of natural sugars in these foods, if you drink the knock-out smoothie long enough before pillow-time you’ll be dozing off easily and relaxing with the Sandman in no time.
You can sleep easy tonight knowing that your pineal gland will cut melatonin production at the right time and wake you up tomorrow morning.
SOURCE: http://consciouslifenews.com/8-foods-naturally-increase-melatonin-better-sleep/
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