In a review published recently in the journal Advances in Nutrition and described in Consumer Reports, foods like tart cherry juice, kiwis, and malted milk beverage were found to help alleviate insomnia.
How or why might those foods work? None of the studies investigated the mechanisms, but in her review St-Onge notes that cherries and kiwis have antioxidants that may protect against cell damage and inflammation, characteristics often found in people with sleep disorders. The melatonin in cherries and the serotonin in kiwis may improve sleep. What’s more, kiwis are rich in folate, a vitamin that helps synthesize brain chemicals involved in sleep, such as dopamine and serotonin. Deficiencies in folate have been linked to insomnia and restless leg syndrome. As for Horlicks milk, it contains B and D vitamins; deficiencies in those vitamins have been linked to sleep disruptions.
Read the whole story at www.consumerreports.org
