12 Foods That Can Help You Sleep by Nissa Simon, AARP

Having trouble settling down? These snacks contain natural substances to get you a better, longer night's rest.

Dreamy Bedtime Snacks Tired of staring at the ceiling and counting sheep? Keep evening snacks light and eat no later than a half-hour before bed, a neurologist Alon Avidan, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. "This allows sufficient time for your body to digest the food and absorb the nutrients before you go to sleep," he says. Here are 12 snack-worthy foods that will increase your odds of restful slumber.

Almonds These crunchy nuts do more than add flavor to a party snack. Almonds contain magnesium, a muscle-relaxing mineral that plays a key role in regulating sleep. A handful of almonds or a tablespoon of almond but ter before bed may help you fall asleep — and stay asleep.

Bananas These nutritional powerhouses contain tryptophan, an amino acid that has been linked to sleep quality. They also offer abundant amounts of magnesium and potassium, notes UCLA's Avidan. "Both minerals help to relax muscles and may ease a painful charley horse that can wake you during the night," he says.

Cereal and Milk Milk contains the sleep-promoting tryptophan, which the brain uses to make serotonin and melatonin, hormones that promote relaxation and control sleep and wake cycles. The carbohydrates in cereal make tryptophan more available to the brain, according to the National Sleep Foundation. For the best nutritional bang, choose a small bowl of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal

Cherries Cherries, especially the tart varieties, are one of the few food sources of melatonin, the sleep hormone that regulates your internal clock. Recent studies have found that volunteers who drank tart cherry juice daily fell asleep sooner and slept better and longer.

Crackers and Cheese The protein in cheese provides sleep-inducing tryptophan, while the carbs in crackers may help you fall asleep faster. Gram for gram, cheddar cheese contains more tryptophan than turke

Green Tea Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that helps to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Just make sure that the green tea you enjoy at night is decaffeinated, because the caffeine in regular green tea might keep you awake.

12 Foods That Can Help You Sleep (Cont.) Hummus Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), the main ingredient in hummus, are not only rich in tryptophan, but also in folate and vitamin B-6. Folate helps to regulate sleep patterns, especially in older people, and vitamin B-6 helps to regulate your body clock. So spread some hummus on a small slice of bread for your before-bed snack

Lemon Balm Tea made from the herb lemon balm contains naturally occurring oils with terpenes, organic compounds that can promote relaxation and better sleep. To brew your own soothing lemon-balm tea, add 1 to 3 teaspoons of dried leaves to a cup of freshly boiled water. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain.

Peanut Butter America's favorite nutty spread is rich in tryptophan, which the body uses to build hormones essential for sleep. Spread some peanut butter on a few whole-grain crackers, which provide carbs to help the tryptophan reach the brain more easily.

Pineapple Certain fruits can significantly boost natural levels of melatonin, which tend to decline as we age. Researchers found that levels of a melatonin marker were raised by more than 266 percent after eating pineapples, 180 percent after eating bananas and 47 percent after eating oranges.

Pumpkin Seeds Pumpkin seeds are packed with a variety of essential nutrients, including substantial amounts of tryptophan. Pair a small piece of carb-rich fruit with your pumpkin seed snack to help the sleep-inducing nutrients reach your brain.

Walnuts In addition to being a natural source of melatonin, walnuts help your body respond better to stress. For extra flavor, toast them briefly on top of the stove in a dry skillet until they're golden brown.

Brought to you as a courtesy of Derrick Harge

Certified Peer Fitness Trainer-American Council on Exercise Fitness Coaching Specialist – Senior Fitness Specialist

12 Foods That Sabotage Sleep by Nissa Simon, AARP

Sleep Better The foods you eat for dinner or shortly before bed can prevent you from getting some much-needed zzz's. Here's what to shun for up to several hours before turning in if you want to sleep better and wake rested — from tomatoes and chocolate to cheddar cheese.

Celery Steer clear of celery just before bed. Celery and other foods with a high water content (cucumbers, watermelon, radishes and such) are natural diuretics that may cause you to wake in the middle of the night with a full bladder.

Countdown to bedtime: 90 minutes

Tomatoes Tomatoes are rich in tyramine, an amino acid that triggers the brain to release norepinephrine, a stimulant that boosts brain activity and delays sleep. Other tyramine-rich foods include eggplant, soy sauce, red wine and aged cheeses, such as brie and Stilton.

Countdown to bedtime: Not after dinner

Cheese Pizza Foods high in fat and fried foods take longer to digest and can cause discomfort that interferes with sleep. They can also reduce the effectiveness of some medications taken at night, says Alon Avidan, a neurologist and director of UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine Sleep Disorders Center.

Countdown to bedtime: 3 hours

Alcohol Although a nightcap or a glass of wine before bed may help you doze off quicker, it disrupts sleep later in the night and robs you of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Lack of REM sleep harms concentration, memory and motor skills.

Countdown to bedtime: 2 to 4 hours

Black-bean chili This dish could be a disaster if you eat it close to bedtime. The body has a hard time digesting beans, so stomach-rumbling gas pains will keep you from a good night's sleep, says Helen Rasmussen, a research nutritionist at Tufts University.

Countdown to bedtime: Have it for lunch

Dark chocolate A small piece of dark chocolate each day helps keep your heart healthy — but don't nibble it right before you go to bed. Dark chocolate (though not white chocolate), hot cocoa and tea all contain caffeine, and if you're caffeine-sensitive, you may find yourself staring at the ceiling instead of snoozing.

Countdown to bedtime: 4 to 6 hours

12 Foods That Sabotage Sleep (cont.) Gumdrops A handful of gumdrops (or any candy) may cause your blood sugar levels to spike and then fall rapidly as the body releases insulin to bring them under control. You may fall asleep easily, but these fluctuations make it difficult to stay asleep.

Countdown to bedtime: 2 to 3 hours

Tacos A taco liberally sprinkled with hot sauce may set your taste buds tingling, but eating it within a few hours of lights-out can set you up for a bad case of heartburn and a restless night. Ditto for other spicy foods.

Countdown to bedtime: 3 hours

Steak Save the leftover slice of steak for lunch tomorrow. Foods high in protein and marbled fats, such as steak and roast beef, are slow to digest. If your body is busy digesting food, there's more of a chance that you'll have a restless night.

Countdown to bedtime: 3 hours

Carbonated soft drinks Caffeine, that sneak thief of sleep, can turn up in unexpected places, including root beer and lemon-lime soda. Added to a food or beverage, caffeine must be listed as an ingredient; if it occurs naturally (coffee, tea, chocolate), it doesn't. Check the label.

Countdown to bedtime: 4 hours

Dagwood sandwich A heavy meal just before bed can rob you of the shut-eye you need. Allow at least three hours post-meal before you turn in so your body has a chance to digest the food and you don't feel too uncomfortable to sleep.

Countdown to bedtime: 3 to 4 hours

Broccoli Broccoli is a nutrition powerhouse, but its slow-to-digest fiber will keep your body working hard into the night. Broccoli and its relatives cauliflower and brussels sprouts also contain an indigestible sugar that will produce large amounts of gas.

Countdown to bedtime: Have it for lunch instead

Brought to you as a courtesy of Derrick Harge Certified Peer Fitness Trainer-American Council on Exercise

Fitness Coaching Specialist – Senior Fitness Specialist