Why You Should Eat a Banana Each Night Before Bed (2024)

Ready to crawl into bed after a long day of "normal human" cosplay? Hoping to fall asleep fast instead of staring at your ceiling for hours? You probably already have the ingredients you need for a dietitian-approved bedtime snack that'll help you drift off. In an episode of Well+Good's YouTube series You Versus Food, Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, MS, RD, makes a strong case for a banana with peanut butter as the best snack for better sleep.

What a dietitian wants you to know about eating before bed:

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What you eat before bed and how soon before bed that you eat it can affect both sleep and your digestion. If your food isn't digested before you go to bed then your body spends time that it should be resting on digesting food instead. Elevated glucose levels can keep you awake, Beckerman says, noting that it also depends on how sensitive your body is. She advises against refined sugar and carbs before bed because they can contribute to poor sleep and digestion. But sometimes your brain screams "feed me cookies" after a stressful day because refined sugars and carbs will give it a rush of dopamine. A banana with peanut butter is a bedtime snack that can actually help you sleep better.

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Not only are these ingredients a delicious pairing, they also help each other shine. "Bananas are high in potassium and magnesium, which can help your muscles relax," Beckerman explains. (Most of us aren't getting enough magnesium.) Nut butters contain tryptophan, an amino acid that gets turned into serotonin in the brain, and is a precursor to melatonin. Eaten together, the carbs from the banana can make tryptophan more available to your brain and increase your ability to sleep. "This treat is a sleep aid wonder," she says.

BTW, in case you were wondering, does peanut butter go bad? The answer is yes, and fairly quickly, too.

Peanut butter is more than just a great snack for better sleep:

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Why You Should Eat a Banana Each Night Before Bed (2024)

FAQs

Why You Should Eat a Banana Each Night Before Bed? ›

Bananas are a Sleep-Friendly Snack: Bananas contain essential nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B6, which can promote better sleep quality. These nutrients help reduce muscle cramps, lower stress and anxiety, and support the production of sleep-regulating hormones like serotonin and melatonin.

What does eating a banana before bed do for you? ›

Bananas are an excellent source of magnesium and potassium which help relax overstressed muscles and make them an ideal go-to snack before bed. They also contain all-important tryptophan to stimulate production of those key brain calming hormones. Eat whole or whizz into a sleep-inducing smoothie.

What is the best time to eat a banana? ›

But our body's metabolism is at its lowest in the night. So one should ideally consume bananas in the morning or evening, but eating bananas at night can regulate the sleep cycle. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps the body produce serotonin, a brain chemical that regulates sleep,” Dr.

What is the best fruit before bed? ›

One study found that consumption of pineapple, oranges, and bananas. View Source increased melatonin production about two hours later. Kiwis have also been shown to have some sleep-inducing properties. In one study, adults with self-reported sleep problems were instructed to eat two kiwis an hour before bedtime.

What happens to your body when you eat banana first thing in the morning? ›

"While bananas are nutritious and can provide a quick source of energy in the morning, their high sugar content might lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels when consumed alone on an empty stomach," Manaker says.

What happens after eating banana at night? ›

Bananas are a Sleep-Friendly Snack: Bananas contain essential nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B6, which can promote better sleep quality. These nutrients help reduce muscle cramps, lower stress and anxiety, and support the production of sleep-regulating hormones like serotonin and melatonin.

Can we drink water after eating bananas? ›

You should avoid drinking water immediately after eating a banana as it can cause severe indigestion. Drinking water makes bananas hard to digest, therefore always wait for about 30 minutes for drinking water.

What's best to eat before bed? ›

Melatonin (found in dairy and cherries) makes you sleepy, potassium (found in bananas) and magnesium (also found in bananas and almonds) help promote muscle relaxation. Furthermore, many herbs, often found in teas like chamomile and mint are considered sleep inducing, while the dairy in warm milk is effective as well.

What is the best color of banana to eat? ›

Yellow. Yellow bananas are softer and easier to digest than green ones, making them a great choice for those with sensitive stomachs or digestion issues, says 1MD Nutrition. They're also richer in disease-fighting antioxidants than green bananas.

Is it better to eat a banana or apple before bed? ›

An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but a banana at night can help you sleep tight. Next time you're up late, battling a pesky combination of hunger and restlessness, reach for a banana before bed as a healthy late-night snack.

What to eat to sleep fast? ›

7. Sleep-inducing snacks
  • Try a banana with low-fat yogurt.
  • Eat low-fat cottage cheese with a few 100% whole-grain pita chips.
  • Smear peanut butter on 100% whole-grain crackers.
  • Enjoy an apple with mozzarella string cheese.
  • Tart cherry juice also seems to promote sleep.
May 24, 2022

What does banana do to the body? ›

Bananas provide vitamins and minerals, including: Vitamin B6: A medium banana gives you about a quarter of the vitamin B6 you should get each day. It helps with metabolism. And it plays an important role in brain development during pregnancy and infancy, as well as immune system health.

What foods help you sleep faster? ›

Here are some foods that may help increase melatonin levels:
  • Tart cherries and tart cherry juice.
  • Whole grains such as rice, barley, and oats.
  • Goji berries.
  • Turkey and lean white meats.
  • Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.
  • Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna.
  • Nuts, especially walnuts, pistachios, and almonds.
  • Eggs.
Jul 24, 2023

Does eating a banana before bed give you dreams? ›

According to experts at SleepJunkie.com, "Bananas are a superfood that can be enjoyed pretty much any time of the day. However, eating them too close to bedtime can contribute to a restless night's sleep and stimulate vivid dreams or nightmares."

Do bananas have melatonin in them? ›

Bananas. Bananas are an amazingly healthy fruit. Bananas contain melatonin, tryptophan, vitamin B6, and magnesium, which are all great for producing serotonin and helping you sleep. Bananas are another “good” carb that can not only help you sleep, but feel more alert during the day.

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