Recipe Station

• Half a Banana and a Handful of Almonds: The combination of tryptophan, carbs, and calming magnesium can help make you drowsy. Don’t like bananas? Have some cherries, a natural source of melatonin, instead.
• Whole-Grain Crackers with Peanut Butter: It’s another magical combo (tryptophan + complex carbs) that will promote sound slumber.
• A Mug of Warm Milk: Grandma was right—drinking warm milk before bedtime can help you sleep better, thanks to the dairy drink’s tryptophan, calcium, and magnesium. Just make sure it’s a small mug and not a huge glass, or else you’ll be running to the bathroom all night.

• A Small Bowl of Whole-Grain Cereal with Milk: The milk’s tryptophan, calcium, and magnesium, coupled with the cereal’s calming carbs and magnesium can make you feel sleepy. Opt for a low-sugar cereal, so you don’t get a spike in blood sugar that could rev you up. Or make hot oatmeal with milk, because oatmeal is a rich source of sleep-promoting melatonin.

Other sleep-inducing foods include half a turkey sandwich (with whole wheat bread) and decaf herbal tea, particularly chamomile, passionflower, and valerian teas, which have a sedative effect. To enhance the soothing effects of these teas, add a teaspoon of honey, which contains tryptophan.