Millions of people struggle to get a good night’s sleep. Do you find yourself tossing and turning, unable to quiet your mind or drift off into a peaceful sleep? I know I DO from time to time. Feeling groggy all day is NO FUN! If you have any issues with getting your “ZZZZ’s” in, then I have some great drink options for you.
Of course, what you eat can have an effect on your sleeplessness too like eating too much sugar, too many processed foods, or not getting enough nutrients in your food. Eating whole foods as much as you can helps, but these are some evening drinks that can serve you.
Chamomile Tea
Native to Europe and Asia, chamomile is a medicinal herb grown primarily throughout southern and Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, central and western Asia, and western North America.
There are actually two main types of chamomile: German chamomile and Roman chamomile. Although you may find a few chamomile teas made from the German variety, many chamomile teas are made from Roman chamomile.
German chamomile has an apple-like smell and has higher amounts of bisabolol, coumarins, and flavonoids. This compound is known for soothing irritation and supporting a good night of sleep.
Roman chamomile has slightly different flowers from its German counterpart, and its essential oils contain mainly angelic and tiglic acid esters, chamazulene, and flavonoids. These compounds are more associated with relaxation and sleep and contribute to the plant’s tranquilizing benefits.
Warm Almond Milk (or chilled)
One of the key components in almond milk that contributes to this sleep-enhancing effect is tryptophan, an amino acid that is converted into serotonin and melatonin in the body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and promotes feelings of relaxation, while melatonin is a hormone that signals to the body when it’s time to sleep.
In addition to tryptophan, almond milk is also rich in other sleep-promoting nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D. Calcium helps the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin, while magnesium can help with sleep, and vitamin D plays a role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. By incorporating almond milk into your diet, you are providing your body with these essential nutrients that can contribute to a better night’s sleep.
Passionflower Tea
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) was used traditionally in the Americas and later in Europe as a calming herb for anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and hysteria. It is still used today to treat anxiety and insomnia. Scientists believe passionflower works by increasing levels of a chemical called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA lowers the activity of some brain cells, making you feel more relaxed.
The various benefits of passionflower tea result from the health-boosting chemicals present in its plant. Some among them are maltol, flavonoids, and indole alkaloids. The herbal tea is also rich in active ingredients like umbelliferone, vitexin, chrysin, and coumarin. These substances are powerful antioxidants — meaning they can help protect your cells from oxidative stress and free radical damage, reducing your risk of inflammatory disorders.
Peppermint Tea
Proven to help you nod off and sleep for longer, peppermint tea is another great option for a pre-bedtime drink. The essential oils in peppermint tea can help relax your muscles, setting the scene for a peaceful night of sleep. Rich in antioxidants, there are lots of other benefits of peppermint tea too.
Lemongrass Tea
The combination of lemongrass and ginger works together to calm your mind ready for sleep. Lemongrass is well known to relax muscles and induce sleep, potentially even helping your sleep for longer once you’ve dropped off.
Lemongrass tea is also one of the best sleepy time teas. It becomes popular because of its freshness and delightful smell. In addition, one of the main benefits of lemongrass is the calming effect it has on your nerves.
Other Benefits:
Lemongrass tea is full of antioxidant that cleanses you from within. Also, It helps in removal of toxins from the body by relieving fluid retention.
Similar to chamomile flowers, lemongrass has the ability to relieve menstrual cramps.
Lemongrass tea is rich in potassium, which increases blood circulation and lowers blood pressure in your body. Meanwhile, it also helps purify the liver and promote overall heart health.
Lavender Tea
De-stress and sleep easy by curling up before bed with a cup of calming lavender tea. A steaming cup of lavender has long been used to treat sleep disorders as the aromatic herb helps to calm brain function all by triggering a response in your nervous system. Studies have shown that new mothers dealing with postpartum enjoyed better sleep quality when inhaling lavender fragrance 4 days a week for 8 weeks. While there are many anxiety-busting de-stress teas out there, lavender is believed to be one of the best.
Tart Cherry Juice
Some research has suggested tart cherry juice can be helpful for sleep by making sleep more efficient. It also has potential benefits for other areas of physical health, including brain health and immune system functioning.
Tart cherry juice’s positive effect on sleep may be due to tryptophan and melatonin. Melatonin is a sleep hormone secreted at certain times of day to help the body transition to sleep.
Tart cherries contain melatonin, and there is evidence to show that drinking tart cherry juice increases melatonin available in the body and can promote better sleep quality. Melatonin is synthesized from tryptophan, so it can be assumed that an increase in tryptophan indicates an increase in melatonin and better sleep.
Banana Shake
Bananas are a great pre-bedtime snack or smoothie sleep enhancer. With their natural levels of melatonin and serotonin, they will help calm your nervous system.
Along with magnesium content from the bananas, almond milk can help relax your muscles and prevent restlessness in order to fall into a deep sleep.
Raw honey has long been used for years as a natural sleep aid as it is said to assist in the release of melatonin.
Enjoy this 1-2 hours before going to bed. Whip this up in a blender:
- 1 banana
- 1 cup (8 oz/ 250 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp raw honey
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
What to AVOID before going to bed
- Too much alcohol
- Caffine
- Eating too much dinner
- TV or screen time
- High intensity exercise
Thanks for reading,
Adrienne
xo
Adrienne, this is great information! I have trouble getting to sleep & sleeping through the night ~ mostly from your list of things to avoid before going to bed!! Thanks for that reminder as well as the list of good things to drink and eat!