Eating right and getting plenty of exercise makes for a great way to start the year. But there is also another area that shouldn’t be neglected in order to feel great, and that is the amount of sleep you get.
The general consensus is that you should get between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night, but with people’s hectic lifestyles how much do we actually get? 4, 5, 6 if we’re lucky? Also people can go to bed with the all the intentions of getting the required amount of sleep, but actually getting to sleep is sometimes the problem.
There are many reasons why we can’t get enough sleep; staying late in front of the computer or browsing on your mobile, the never-ending to-do list waiting for you in the morning, age, skipping meals and eating late in the evening – these are just a few reasons why your brain stays alert and prevent you from falling asleep easily.
But you can also improve your sleep and reduce the amount of time you need to fall asleep by having a bedtime elixir made with some simple, but very effective ingredients:
Kale – these reliable greens will give you a hand for falling asleep easier, just as they do for detoxifying and nourishing your body. The nutritional profile of kale contain all nine essential amino-acids, including tryptophan, which your body converts to serotonin, a neurotransmitter hormone that regulates the sleep / wake circle and is used by the pineal gland to synthesize melatonin, the hormone related to a healthy sleep.
Banana – a great source of potassium and magnesium for relaxing the muscles and creating an alkaline environment for you body cells to restore during nighttime. Bananas are also high in tryptophan, the key ingredient for a better sleep.
Yogurt – and other dairy products contain tryptophan and also calcium, which helps your body to synthesize it to produce the melatonin hormone. While sipping warm milk calms you before bedtime, your body might find it difficult to digest, and this is why natural yogurt, which contains probiotics, is a safe option.
Kiki Fruits – another sleep quality promoting ingredient because they are high in antioxidants (which recent studies have linked to a better sleep) and serotonin, the hormone that helps initiating sleep and maintaining it during the night.
Flax Seeds – are high in omega-3 essential fatty acid, which reduces anxiety and stress (some of the top causes of insomnia) and also tryptophan.
Almond Butter – contains a high concentration of magnesium, which relaxes your muscles, and protein for helping you switch the alert adrenaline cycle to a rest-and-digest cycle for good sleep.
You can combine some of these or throw them all together in a blender to create a wonder smoothie to help you say goodbye to insomnia. And that is where this comes in……
The Better Sleep Smoothie Recipe
Time to make: 5 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
* 1 cup kale leaves
* 1 cup natural yogurt
* 1 ripe banana
* 1 tbsp raw almond butter
* 2 tsp flax seeds, ground
* 2 kiwi fruits
* ½ cup almond milk
Instructions
* Simple. Blend all the ingredients until creamy and drink straight away.
For this and more great recipes please head on over to helloglow.co