Sleep: Bananas are the secret to sleep disorders

If you get little sleep or go to bed and doze for a few hours, but then wake up and can’t go back to sleep, that’s normal. Most people now suffer frominsomnia. Exactly one third of Italian adults suffer from it. For 10% of them it is a permanent problem. There are several medicines manage insomnia. However, on the other hand, sources of stress can always be eliminated or reduced.

However, another solution could be:Power supply. Eating the right foods can aid sleep. Avoid foods that are difficult to digest and leave time between meals and sleep. On the one hand, there are foods that should be excluded, on the other, that should be added, such as bananas. Eating a banana before bed can help you fall asleep. The reason is that I nutrients it contains, including tryptophan.

It is the precursor amino acid of serotonin: the substance the body uses to make melatonin, the hormone whose job is to regulate the sleep-wake rhythm. In order to function, it must reach the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier and this step is less efficient if there are other neutral amino acids to counteract it. Increasing your tryptophan consumption can therefore help you sleep better. And bananas can be used in this regard. Magnesium and stress live in a relationship that resembles a vicious circle. Reduced doses of magnesium actually promote stress, but at the same time, it is tension which causes a reduction in magnesium levels in the body. The only way to keep your balance is by getting enough magnesium.

dr. Silvia Soligon, nutritionist-biologist

In fact, another secret of the banana that works for sleep is the magnesium containing the fruit. It is important for development and stress management. Bananas contain the vitamin B6 which aids in the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and in the formation of hemoglobin. Finally, also in the synthesis of serotonin. This fruit is rich in fiber and carbohydrates.