Forget sleeping pills – the answer to a good nights sleep is in your fruit bowl! It might come as a surprise but bananas are the perfect bedtime food!

Most of us add bananas to our morning smoothies or eat them as a snack during the day, but the best time to have one is an hour or two before you go to bed. Bananas can help increase REM sleep and this is one of the most important sleep stages, helping to refresh your mind after a long day.

If you’d like to find more about how this awesome fruit can help you with your sleep, read on!

Potassium

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, and potassium complements magnesium which helps keep digestive systems healthy and blood pressure regular, this, in turn, helps to improve sleep.

A sign of a healthy and happy heart is slightly lower blood pressure at night, so if you don’t have high enough potassium levels you could be experiencing heart issues and irregularities and muscle fatigue, both which will disrupt a good night’s rest.

Magnesium

This is a very common mineral deficiency, and most people don’t even know they are lacking magnesium. If you aren’t sure, it’s a good idea to have your doctor check your levels. Some of the signs of Magnesium deficiency are very obvious at night, causing leg cramping and relaxation problems. Another common sign that your magnesium levels are not high enough is slow digestion. Bananas are very high in magnesium and a good way to get your levels up.

Tryptophan

This essential amino acid is super important as it is the forerunner to melatonin and serotonin. Inhibitory neurotransmitter Serotonin controls your mood and your cardiac rhythm is regulated by melatonin, both crucial for a good night’s rest.