Common Foods that Have an Affect on Your Sleep

Myths about foods that make you sleepy, we have all heard some of them, but how many are true? If you asked me about my body's reactions to certain foods then it would throw all the studies out the window. My body does indeed react very different than you would expect it to.

For example caffeine is suppose to keep you awake but I can drink a cola right before going to bed and drop off to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I remember one night I wanted to stay up late to watch a meteor shower and I knew that drinking a caffeinated soda would not help so I tried coffee this time. The results? I managed to fall asleep and miss the entire meteor shower that night. I think that my body does not react to the caffeine because I have drank colas since I was young and my body just does not react to it anymore.

Since caffeine does not keep me awake what makes me sleepy? The many times that I have lay awake trying to sleep at night I can tell you that a few types of foods have helped. Hot chocolate, even though it is suppose to contain caffeine, has a comforting affect on me. It helps my body to slow down, to allow it to relax, enough for sleep. The famous Thanksgiving turkey dinner does make me feel sleepy but has no effect on my sleep later that night. I have found that food in general if eaten in too large a quantity will keep me awake. The discomfort of having too full a stomach will keep me awake. I am allergic to milk so the common notion of having a glass of warm milk to put you to sleep will not only keep me awake but will cause me to have discomfort as well.

Other foods that have been known to induce sleep is fruits and fruit juices. If you are drinking the fruit juice don't try the fruit juice blends that commonly add fructose corn syrup to the mix since that would only add more calories to your sleepy time snack. Try to keep the amounts small, under 200 calories.

Alcohol in small quantities is helpful in aiding a person to sleep. I am not alcohol drinker but when I have been kept awake by a very nasty cold that regular cold medications have not been helpful I have on rare occasions had a shot glass of very warm mild whiskey. It has the effect of numbing my sore throat and putting me to sleep within a few minutes.

I have learned that every person is different in how their body reacts to foods. Knowing what foods your body reacts to will be a great help in finding the right foods to help you relax. Since eating right before you sleep is not recommended because of the possibility of weight gain, I would suggest you eat a very small quantity of your choice of sleepy time food.