Trouble sleeping? You’re not alone. More than 50 million Americans have trouble sleeping. Tossing and turning is frustrating, and the lack of shut-eye can lead to such health problems as an expanding waistline, high blood pressure and an altered mood. “Lack of sleep is a unique stress that induces a chronic stress response in the body,” says Shawn Talbott, nutritional biochemist, exercise physiologist and author of “The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance and Reclaim Your Natural Energy.” Typically overlooked, one way to improve sleep is through diet: Just choose foods that can help you get more rest. Here are 12 foods that will help you fall (and stay) asleep.
Can’t sleep? Eat a banana, says nutritional biochemist Shawn Talbott. They’re high in potassium, which may calm restless legs and help prevent nighttime leg cramps. Plus, bananas also provide magnesium, which helps relax muscles and nerves and promotes healthy circulation and digestion, according to Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and author of “The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep.” Peel and eat a banana or make a smoothie. Just cut it up and blend it with your favorite type of milk and ice.