Eating This Breakfast Food at Night Can Improve Sleep Quality

For those with trouble sleeping, they are not alone. Millions across the world, especially the younger generation, are victims of insomnia, or sleeplessness – an important issue which experts believe leads

to dangerous health issues, including heart problems and cancer. While a sound sleep can be hard to achieve in winter, especially due to less exposure to sunlight, as it disrupts your body’s internal clock, there are a few ways to have a sound and uninterrupted sleep, too. One of the easiest ways to do it is to eat oatmeal – a popular breakfast food for dinner.

How do oats help cure insomnia?

Experts believe that since oats are a complex carbohydrate, they do not lead to blood sugar levels shooting up or dropping. A lot of people frequently wake up in the middle of the night due to their blood sugar dropping or spiking – and so, eating oatmeal is a great choice. Oatmeal is rich in melatonin – a hormone which promotes sleep, fibre, and protein – all of which contribute to your satiety, along with magnesium – a muscle relaxant. However, you need to make sure not to eat oatmeal with sugar or salt. A few other bedtime foods that you can take daily include bananas and almonds. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins supports the consumption of an oatmeal bowl before bed since they are complex carbohydrates that do not take too long to digest. They also trigger the release of serotonin – a chemical messenger that acts as a neurotransmitter and hormone and plays a role in many bodily functions, especially sleep regulation.

How to make a natural sleep-inducing oatmeal bowl?

The best way to make a before-bed oatmeal bowl includes:

• A cup of rolled oats
• A teaspoon of hemp seeds
• A glass of warm milk
• A hand pinch of pepper
• A ripe banana
• A spoonful of almond butter
• Sour cherries
• A cut-up protein bar

You can mix all the ingredients together, and these fibre-rich carbs and proteins not only satiate you at bedtime but also improve the overall sleep quality.

Other ways to have a great sleep

Stick to a schedule

According to experts, it is important to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle. If you are not able to fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing like reading or listening to soothing music.

Be careful about your eating and sleeping

Make sure not to go to bed hungry or stuffed, and avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime. Discomfort may keep you up for longer hours.

Create a perfect sleepy environment

Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet. Exposure to light in the evenings might make it more challenging to fall asleep. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan, or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.