Eat, drink, sleep: 10 foods and drinks to help you sleep

WASHINGTON — Mover over, Thanksgiving turkey — elk meat is the real master when it comes to delivering sleep-inducing doses of tryptophan.

Elk meat is one of the many foods that can naturally help you sleep, according to The Savory.

The key to many of the best foods to help you sleep is the amino acid tryptophan. It helps bodies create the sleep-friendly hormones serotonin and melatonin.

Below is The Savory’s list of the 10 foods and drink that can help you get some shut eye.

1. Elk meat. Elk meat has nearly twice the tryptophan as turkey, according to Reader’s Digest. You can even buy the meat online.
2. Nut such as walnuts, almonds and pistachios. Walnuts are a good source of tryptophan. Almonds are rich in magnesium, which can induce restful deep sleep.
3. Salmon and tuna. These types of fish are a good source of Vitamin B6 that helps bodies create melatonin.
4. Jasmine rice. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that jasmine rice is even better than plain white rice to help people fall asleep quickly.
5. Turkey. The well-known sleep inducer contains tryptophan.
6. Honey. Honey helps raise insulin levels and allows tryptophan to get to the brain easier.
7. Calcium-rich foods. Foods such as milk and yogurt can help you get to sleep because of the amounts of calcium. Those who are calcium-deficient are known to have more trouble falling asleep.
8. Lettuce. The suggestion is to eat and drink a mix of large lettuce leaves that have simmered in a cub of water for 15 minutes. After simmering, but before consuming the concoction, add mint. The effectiveness of that suggestion may have more to do with the mint than the lettuce.
9. Caffeine-free teas. Some types of tea, such as chamomile, can help you ease into sleep. Insomnia solutions detailed by Invigorate360.com say peppermint tea is supposed to be very relaxing and calming to both the mind and body.
10. Quiche. A hearty quiche can combine dairy, salmon and other sleep-inducing foods to help up the tryptophan levels.

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