To help make sleep happen, eat one of these handy snacks about an hour before bedtime. From The Mind-Beauty Connection by Dr. Amy Wechsler
Snacks to Attack Insomnia
Trip up your wakefulness and doze off with these handy bedtime snacks (stay within 200 calories and eat about an hour before bedtime):
- The classic PB&J (go easy on the PB, and try it on a rice cake); top off with a glass of low-fat or skim milk.
- A banana with one teaspoon nut butter of your choice.
- A small bowl of whole grain cereal with low-fat or skim milk.
- Fruit and cottage cheese.
- Whole grain crackers and goat cheese.
- A homemade oatmeal raisin cookie with low-fat or skim milk.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Wechsler, M.D., is a dermatologist and a psychiatrist, one of only two doctors in the country who are board-certified in both specialties. She also is the author of The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Reverse Stress Aging and Reveal More Youthful, Beautiful Skin (Copyright © 2008 by RealAge Corporation). Evidence of the mind-beauty connection walks into her office every day: “Premature aging and adult acne are the two most common skin problems I see, and stress and exhaustion are often at the bottom of both,” she says. Dr. Wechsler practices in New York City, where she lives with her husband and two kids. She is a member of the RealAge Scientific Advisory Board.
MORE ARTICLES BY THE AUTHOR
- 5 Biggest Beauty Bargains on the Planet
- 7 Tricks for Getting a Better Night’s Sleep
- Antiaging Products: What Really Works
- Get Active: Why Exercise Helps You Look and Feel Better
- SOS for the Stressed: 7 Stress Management Tips
- Top Tips for Avoiding Razor Burn
LEARN MORE
- Read the Introduction to The Mind-Beauty Connection
- See the book’s Table of Contents
- Watch an on-location video with the author
Hi! I'm Kristy, the editor/blogger of TOHL. I work with Simon & Schuster's expert authors to share our best health and fitness tips. I'm a runner, SoulCycler and Pilates addict, love to find healthy recipes, and am always looking for new challenges. Feel free to contact me at kristy dot ojala at simonandschuster dot com.
I started a ”Byron System”t last jan and it,s worked so far. i’ve lost 31 lbs. 185 down to 154. I measure out my portions. whenever I eat out I eat whatever I want and then the next meal I go back to the ‘Byron System”. to prove my point I gained 4 lbs in a week over the holidays by eating away from home from dec 23 until the 28th. I ate 14,000 unanswered calories that weren’t burned off. 3500 calories = 1 lbs. i hope i have encouraged a few since i,m a musician who likes to eat.
I have always found that mixing some protein with a carb-rich snack an hour before bedtime helped with my insomnia. I understand now that the carbs allow the amino acid tryptophan to reach the brain, and this in turn allows natural production of serotonin and then melatonin – the ‘sleep hormone’. A niacin supplement *vitamin B3) helps further by reducing conversion of tryptophan to this vitamin.
Go to http://www.InsomniaDoc.com to get research-based advice on how to treat insomnia from a Cleveland Clinic-trained Sleep Doctor and Neurologist, Dr. Craig Brooker, M.D.