Overcome insomnia naturally by eating the right foods

Move over melatonin and all the popular medicated sleep aids – there's a new kid on the block that will help you sleep more soundly and definitely more healthy. Actually, it's more like an old friend who's always been around and likely can be found right now in your kitchen cabinet. Eating the right foods in the hours before you hit the hay may help you fall asleep faster and even improve the quality of your sleep.

Almonds 

What's not to love about almonds? Not only are they good for your heart, but also since they contain tryptophan and magnesium they can make you sleepy. Almonds contain magnesium, which promotes both sleep and muscle relaxation. Grab a handful about 30 mins before bed.

Tea

Chamomile works as a mild tranquilizer and a sleep inducer. Along with regulating sleep, liquid melatonin boasts several advantages: It helps lower heart rate and blood pressure, increases immune function, and blocks the body’s stress response. Try adding 18 drops, which is about .5 mg, of liquid melatonin to your tea two hours before bedtime.

Bananas

"They're practically a sleeping pill in a peel," says RealAge.com. Each tasty bite contains melatonin and serotonin to make you sleepy, as well as magnesium, a known muscle relaxant. Worried about the sugar in them? Don't be... having one right before bed will give you just enough sugar to calm your orexin cells, plus the potassium will also help to relax your muscles.

Milk

Drinking a glass of warm milk before bed will help you to sleep better - it's not just an old wives' tale. Dairy products are rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which helps in the production of the sleep inducing brain chemicals, serotonin and melatonin.

Oatmeal

Not just good for a healthy breakfast - the complex carbohydrate triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals. Oats are also rich in vitamin B6, an anti-stress vitamin, and melatonin.

Cereal

Having a bowl an hour or so before going to bed stimulates the release of insulin. This helps to clear amino acids that compete with tryptophan from the bloodstream, allowing more of this sleep-inducing amino acid to enter the brain.

Montmorency Tart Cherries

The Montmorency cherry is a type of sour cherry. The color is not as dark as the cherries we typically see in the stores. These cherries are great because they have about 6 times the amount of melatonin than a regular cherry. If you can find a cherry juice concentrate, this will also increase the concentration of melatonin even more.

There are many causes of poor sleep and regular sleep problems can hurt our overall health. Medications can help us get to sleep but carry a high risk. Long-term healthy solutions include balancing blood sugar and creating healthy sleep rituals like eating these foods. Now go have some and hit the hay!