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5 Foods That Can Help You Get to Sleep

Finding yourself up late and feeling restless? Swap your typical evening snack for one of these.

by Marygrace TaylorPublished: Jan 10, 2017 10:18 AM EST

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As runners know, it’s important to get enough sleep. Not only is it necessary for brain health and overall well-being, but getting the right amount of sleep may actually make you faster. Unfortunately, lots of typical evening activities—like knocking back a couple beers, binge-watching tv shows, and especially snacking on sugary foods—only serve to throw off your body’s internal clock, making it harder to actually rest during the night.

If you rely on that evening snack, swap out those sugary, processed foods, with one of these; they’ll help you wind down so you can rest well, and wake refreshed.

Related: 25 Great Snacks for Runners

Mozzarella Cheese

Mitch Mandel

You know that turkey is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that prompts your body to produce more of the feel-good chemical serotonin, which ultimately helps you chill out and doze off. But ounce for ounce, mozzarella cheese packs nearly twice as much tryptophan as the lean protein. Who knew, right?

Salmon

Hilmar Hilmar

Are you even surprised? One recent study found that getting 600 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day helped people sleep nearly an hour longer and wake up seven fewer times throughout the night. Have some wild salmon for dinner, or if you don’t do fish, pop an omega-3 supplement.

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Almonds

Mitch Mandel

A handful delivers almost 20 percent of your daily magnesium, which can relax your muscles and help you feel calmer, so your mind isn’t racing when your head hits the pillow. They’re a decent source of tryptophan, too. So, you know, double whammy!

Oatmeal

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Have you heard that cherries are a good source of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin? Well, oatmeal’s got the stuff, too. And since it’s loaded with carbs that’ll make you feel sleepy anyway, you might be conked out before you even finish eating a bowlful.

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Bananas

Thomas MacDonald

You already love these starchy fruits after a race, because they are rich in magnesium as well as potassium, another potent muscle relaxer. That’s great for sore muscles, but it’s also great for getting to sleep. Plus, like mozzarella and almonds, they deliver plenty of grog-promoting tryptophan. Best of all, they satisfy that near-universal urge to eat something sweet before bed.

The article 5 Surprising Clean Foods That Will Make You Sleep All Night Long originally ran on Prevention.

Marygrace Taylor

Marygrace Taylor is a health and wellness writer for Prevention, Parade, Women’s Health, Redbook, and others. She’s also the co-author of Prevention’s Eat Clean, Stay Lean: The Diet and Prevention’s Mediterranean Kitchen. Visit her at marygracetaylor.com.

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