Based in Jamestown, Pa., Hannah Rice Myers has more than 10 years of experience as a freelance writer, specializing in the health industry. Many of her articles have appeared in newspapers, as well as "Curing Epilepsy: Hope Through Research." Rice Myers received her master's degree in nursing from Upstate Medical University in 2001.
If you find yourself having difficulty getting those forty winks a night, and counting sheep doesn't help, it may be the foods you're not eating. The nutrients found in the foods we eat play a role in our ability to get a good night's rest. If we lack some of these nutrients, insomnia can creep in like a thief in the night and steal that sleep right out from under us. There is a natural treatment for insomnia, and it is simple. Tweak your diet a bit, and before you know it, you can be sleeping like a baby.
Magnesium-Rich Foods
Photo courtesy of dcwhawaii.comIf your body is lacking in magnesium, this could be a cause of your insomnia. Magnesium is a natural sedative, and you can increase your body's stores by eating foods such as cashews and almonds, whole grains, and dark, green leafy vegetables.
Calcium-Rich Foods
Photo courtesy of pms.orgHave you ever been told to drink a warm glass of milk at night when you can't sleep? This holds more truth than you might believe. Foods rich in calcium also act as a sedative for the body. So for a snack at night, try cheese on whole-grain crackers or yogurt topped with crushed almonds.
Trytophan
Photo courtesy of igourmet.comIt's no coincidence that shortly after eating Thanksgiving dinner, your eyes begin to droop, and you feel like you could sleep until Christmas. This is because the turkey you just ate is full of tryptophan. This is an amino acid that converts itself into melatonin, a hormone that calms the body and regulates normal sleeping patterns. Foods that contain trytophan include oats, bananas, peanuts, and of course, poultry.
