Sleeping well is not always easy. A very popular fruit would nevertheless be an excellent “natural sleeping pill”.
Having a bad night or taking time to fall asleep is never pleasant and has repercussions the next day. Some good habits are often recommended to maximize the quality of your sleep, such as turning off screens an hour before going to bed, maintaining regular bedtimes or avoiding meals that are too heavy and take a long time to digest in the evening.
If that’s not enough, eating a particular fruit can help. According to Santosh Pandey, naturopath at Rejua Energy Center in Mumbai, Financial express, the richness in tryptophan of a fruit, an essential amino acid associated with vitamin B6, allows a synthesis of serotonin, a brain chemical substance regulating sleep, and melatonin, the sleep hormone and thus promotes falling asleep. The magnesium contained in this food also plays a role in the relaxation of muscles and the nervous system allowing deeper and more soothing sleep. The specialist believes that this fruit is therefore a “natural sleeping pill”.
However, he advises consuming it an hour before bedtime to have time to digest it. The good news is that this fruit is on sale almost all year round and adored by the French since it is the banana. “Bananas are safe to eat at any time of the day. But our body’s metabolism is at its lowest during the night. So ideally one should consume bananas in the morning or evening, but eating bananas in the evening can regulate the sleep cycle”, explains the naturopath. It is also recommended, rather for morning consumption, not to eat the banana alone. This fruit is, in fact, acidic and can therefore cause digestive stress if consumed on an empty stomach. It is therefore preferable to combine it with other foods.
Banana has other beneficial effects: it boosts mood. According to nutritionist, Émeline Bacot, banana is “a source of dopamine, tryptophan and vitamin B6, which have a positive effect on mood”, as reported Top health. It also helps to lower blood pressure and thus reduce the risk of hypertension thanks to its richness in potassium. Banana is also the ideal partner against heartburn.
Contrary to some popular belief, eating a banana in the evening poses no problem and does not cause weight gain as long as it is consumed as part of a balanced diet. However, it should not be eaten at dinner.